OPERATION Erase Bella Swan
by L3ftOfCent3r
Summary: Comatose-Jacob was the least of Leah's problems, but amnesiac-Jacob is another story. Now, Leah is trying to keep Jacob from remembering Bella Swan while dealing with pack annoyances, a Volturi threat and something even worse...falling for Jacob Black.
1. Prolouge

**A/N: This first chapter is in Jacob's P.O.V.. Future chapters will be in Leah's P.O.V.. Hope this chapter doesn't confuse anyone too much. However, a little bit of confusion is okay. ;)**

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Prologue

June 15, 2006 (A.K.A. The Battle with the Newborns)

They say that just before you die—you get a front row, private screening to the head-on car collision that used to be your life. _Well, lucky me. _But, what they forgot to mention was how you also get your own personal remote control with a little note attached, that says: "Here, fast forward all you want, it's your damn life!"

Well, my time had come. I could feel the life spilling out of me just as the warm liquid oozed out of my cracked-open skull as I phased back to human. _Damn boulder! Damn tag-teaming bloodsuckers! Damn Leah for trying to take them on. _But, I'd asked for it, hadn't I? I had threatened Bella that I'd go get myself killed. It had mostly been tough-talk. Something stupid you say "in the moment" and then usually regret later. But, as the ground rose-up to meet my face, causing my head to bounce once before my cheek smacked against the cold forest floor—I regretted it. As six pairs of bare-feet ran towards me and then faded into a black oblivion—I regretted making the stupid threat. But sometimes you get what you really didn't mean to wish for... Death. Blackness.

But, there was light in the blackness. I shielded my eyes as a theater-style widescreen lit-up white in front of my face. Confused, I looked around at the empty theater I suddenly found myself sitting in. It was just me and the remote control that had magically appeared in the palm of my hand.

"What tha—"

I quickly read the note attached to the remote control and then hesitantly pushed the "play" button. The comedic tragedy that was my life immediately began playing on the widescreen. I watched my memories play-out before my very eyes until, suddenly, the film strip got stuck on a clip of Bella with her bloodsucker-fiance. The clip replayed over and over again like a scratched-up CD, repeating the sound of Bella's voice as she looked up into the cold, creepy eyes of Edward Cullen. Furiously, I pressed down every button on that damn remote control, trying to skip over this part, but none of the buttons worked. I stood up from my theater seat, hearing the seat bounce closed behind me as I threw the piece-of-crap remote at the widescreen. All of the lights inside of the theater, instantly, flashed on then. I watched as the widescreen turned black except for the red lettering that blinked the word: "ERROR".

"Some post-game show," I muttered under my breath as I turned away from the error screen and glared-up at the projector at the back of the theater.

In response, with the sound of rumbling thunder, the stadium-style rows of seats, by some invisible force, parted like Moses had split the Red Sea. I jumped back as I watched the theater seats pile up on top of one another to leave a cleared path towards the projectors light. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure that _this _was the afterlife. This seemed more like a dream then some kind of purgatory. As I stared up into the bright light of the projector, it reminded me of an old scary movie I had once seen where a main character yelled: "Don't go into the light!" With a careless shrug of my shoulders, I took the first step up the path that the cleared-out-seats had left behind. Hell, anything was preferable after watching a looped-clip of Bella that featured Edward. With every step I took towards the light—I remembered Bella less and less until I couldn't remember why I had even thought of her: Bella Swan, Charlie Swans' daughter. And, I couldn't remember where I was or how I got wherever it was that I was. There was a light up ahead, and I followed it like a fisherman follows the sweeping light of a lighthouse to lead him home, even though I didn't know where the light would lead me. I squinted my eyes as the light grew brighter, swallowing me up until there was nothing left but blinding whiteness. My eyelids closed from the assault but even behind shut lids the light burned red.

"Stop staring at the sun, twerp! It'll make you go blind!"

My eyes fluttered open and I looked away from the sun towards my sisters voice. Rebecca had a hand on her hip as she looked at me with raised eyebrows. I just grinned at her and gestured with my head towards the sun.

"Prove it—HEY!"

An empty roll of tape bounced off the back of my head and fell to the ground. I spun around to see Rachel lower her hand from the throwing position.

"I need more tape," she said as she tried to keep the plastic table cloth from blowing off the table and down the beach, "Make yourself useful and go get some!"

I glared at her and the stupid "class of 2003" balloon that she had tied on to the table. I considered popping it, but then—the two of them would team-up on me.

"Fine," I muttered under my breath as I stomped-off back to the house, kicking up sand on my way.

Dad had wheeled himself into the kitchen and was stirring a steaming pot of chili as I stepped inside the dark house. I blinked my eyes a few times until they adjusted to the lighting change.

"Need something, son?"

I huffed out a breath of air as I nodded at him.

"Yeah," I grumbled, "Tape."

My dad wheeled himself away from the the stove and then over to the utility drawer.

"Catch," he said as he pulled out a roll of tape and then tossed it to me.

I caught it and muttered my thanks before turning back towards the propped open front door. The light from the sun outside was so bright in contrast to the darkness in the house that the doorway looked like a gateway to some white abyss. My feet stopped as the white-light of the doorway was suddenly shadowed by the figure of a girl. She was the prettiest girl in La Push—no contest. Her long black hair hung down over her shoulders and her lips were pouty as if she didn't want to be here...as usual. She walked past me with a wrapped box in her hands, towering over me only by an inch or two, but she acted as if I wasn't even there. I turned to watch as she moved past me and then sat the wrapped box down on the kitchen table. A small finger tapped me on the arm then and I looked away from the girl to glance down at the kid standing next to me.

"Hey Seth," I greeted and then quickly looked back up at the copper skinned beauty.

She had asked my dad if she could use the phone and I watched her twirl the black cord around one finger as she held the receiver to her ear. Seth tapped on my arm again but I ignored it as I stared, transfixed, at his sister. Her long black eyelashes lifted from her cheeks as she looked up and noticed that I was staring. She quickly rolled her eyes at me and then turned her back. A smile broke-out across my face as she did this; the whole while, Seth was tugging on my arm, but I was psyched that Leah Clearwater had looked at me—eye-roll and all.

"JACOB!"

Someone yelled my name and I spun around so fast I almost knocked over Seth. I apologized and then remembered the roll of tape that I was holding as I walked towards the front door, towards the light outside.

"Jacob."

A different voice, a voice I didn't recognize called my name as I stepped out into the sun, squinting. Their voice seemed to echo all around me as I was soaked in daylight. The brightness of it assaulted my darkness-adjusted eyes. It was almost not like daylight at all, but something much brighter. I slowly tried opening my eyes, but it was like having a light shine directly into your eyeballs. It was like screwing in a new light bulb and watching as it illuminated in your face; I could still see it behind my shut eyelids. It was like waking up to a different lighting than you had fallen asleep to. It was like waking up. It was just like waking up...


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, but you know how it goes..."life" and all that. Anyway, thanks to brankel1, o0FLAM3S0o, PierceTheVeil, Jacobleah and ZeroGamer for reviewing the first chapter**—**I really appreciate it! And, thanks to anyone else who also read it! I'm a big "Blackwater" fan, and this story is my first attempt at it. I hope I don't blow it! *crosses fingers***

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Chapter 1

October 18, 2006

**Note to self: Wearing shorts while climbing up a tree is about as smart as ice skating in your underwear—you fall down, your butt sticks to the ice and you quickly find out that "freezer burns" don't just happen to food.**

The insides of my thighs had been scraped by tree-bark too many times to count. Yet, every time I had to climb the stupid tree—I always found myself wearing the same thing: Shorts that got even shorter every time I bear-hugged my way up its trunk, and a basic, boring tank top. All traces of femininity had been eliminated from my wardrobe. It was a small price to pay for being a member of a moronic, male dominated wolf pack. Having to regularly climb up a tree, on the other hand, was a big price to pay. I blamed Jacob.

"_Jacob,"_ I angrily thought his name as I pulled myself up and over a tree branch, _"If you ever wake up from your coma—I'm going to head-butt you into another one!"_

My finger-nails dug into the bark as I climbed higher, and sometimes I would imagine that the bark was Jacob's skin. Unconscious or not, I fantasized about pinching him as I climbed up to the spot where the tree trunk forked and gave me a place to keep my footing. From my vantage point, I could see into the big picture window that was on the third floor of "leech manor". As I peered inside, the light of the morning sun poured in through the glass and spilled white-light over the bed-ridden Jacob. He was so still as he lay in his hospital bed. All those muscles in his arms were rendered useless as they lay limply at his sides, and the russet skin of his bare chest seemed pale under the white blanket that covered him. Despite being angry at him, I was so sick of seeing him like this. Jacob looked like some kind of science experiment with wires and tubes hooked up to him and then connected to beeping machines. I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted as I leaned into the rough, bark-covered surface of the tree.

"_Just wake up already,"_ I mentally begged.

I was sick of coming here. I was sick of being reminded that he was in that bed and under the care of these vampires because of me. All because he had rushed-in and tried to save me from those newborns. I looked down and shook my head. Jacob had a major "knight in shining armor" complex.

"Hi!" an all-too-familiar, cheerful voice made me look-up with a glare.

I scowled as Seth waved at me from inside of Jacob's room. He had a big grin pasted on his brown face despite the fact that he was standing inside the home of our natural enemy. It never seized to disturb me that I was related to such a vampire lover.

"Aw, Leah," Seth complained as if he was reacting to my thought like his best-bloodsucking-buddy often would, "You know you don't have to be in that tree." _Actually, I did._

My choice to not reek of vampire-stench was one of the few female-preferences I had left, and the tree made that possible. Not-to-mention, it was Sam's order that I, since Jacob's predicament was "my" fault, monitor his condition. Seth had offered to do it for me, but I didn't want Sam to think that I couldn't handle the job. I could handle it! I just refused to handle it from inside of that stinking house. I gave a sigh as I looked upwards and the sunlight filtered down on me through the dozen of tree branches, and the hundreds of leaves that were above my head.

"No thanks", I replied to Seth, "I chose the tree."

Seth shrugged his shoulders at my response and walked over to the side of Jacob's bed. Jacob's bare chest rose and then fell in the same steady rhythm that it had for four months now. Four months and he hadn't opened his eyes.

"Hey, Jake," Seth greeted as he looked down at the unresponsive Jacob, "Quil and Embry told me to give you fists-bumps for them."

I rolled my eyes as Seth balled-up Jacob's hand into a fist and then bumped their fists together twice, one for each of his idiot friends. Seth put his hand down then and leaned-in closer.

"Your dad," Seth began, "Told me to give you a hug for him, but you know, guy-code and all—let's don't but say we did."

Seth patted him on the shoulder and my brow twitched with something close to sorrow. Billy had even come to see his son from time to time. It was against all of our natures, except Seth's, to come here, but we all knew that there was no better option for Jacob. Four months and Billy still had hope. I, on the other hand, wasn't so optimistic.

"Any changes," I asked Seth, assuming that he had spoken to the _good_ doctor.

"Nope," he replied and then looked down a Jacob, "Come on, Jake. Wake up. Werewolves can't be comatose." _Apparently, they could. _

"Good morning, Leah," the doctor vamp walked into the room, wearing his white coat as if it was just another day at the hospital.

"How are you," he asked.

I sighed. Small-talk with vampires was not my cup of tea, but never-the-less, Seth and I had been raised to be respectful.

"Fine," I answered, begrudgingly

"Good to hear," he smiled as he walked past Seth to fidget with one of the machines.

For a moment, I almost pitied this vampire for all of the care that he had to give to Jacob since Jacob couldn't care for himself. Yet, of all the things he wasn't doing on his own—Jacob was still breathing. Why he wasn't awake—no one really knew. I ran a hand through my short black hair, brushing-out a tangle as I thought about that. I had read in a book, or someplace, that the mind has a way of protecting itself from negative experiences. So, maybe Jacob's mind was just sheltering him by keeping him asleep, or, maybe his head sort of worked like an old computer monitor and it just needed a good smack every now and then!

"I know this is a long shot," I spoke from my place in the tree, "But has anyone considered bashing him in the head? I mean, that's what caused his extended nap in the first place. Maybe a good blow to the head would wake him up!"

The blond vampire in the white lab coat stared at me through the window for a moment in that unreadable vampire way, and then he politely smiled.

"I'm afraid it's all up to Jacob to decide when to awaken," he replied, "We all hope it will be soon so that our lives can start-up again and continue on as usual."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously at his words as I watched him adjust Jacob's IV-line. _Whose life had been stopped and was waiting to "start-up again" ASIDE from Jacob's! _The boy had missed 2 months of school and still had one year left to go. _Other than Jacob, whose life was waiting in limbo?_ It wasn't as if these vampires had anything better to do! They had all of eternity to live their un-lives. So, who—

"Bella. Swan." The name slipped past my teeth as a growl.

Seth and the doctor both looked up at me as I fumed from where I stood in the tree.

"Yes," the doctor confirmed my assumption, "Bella and Edward's wedding date is indefinite. Fall semester has begun in schools across America and neither one have been enrolled. Bella just doesn't feel she can move-on at the moment."

My lip curled-up at his news. I couldn't care less how Bella Swan felt. Sure, I was blamed for Jacob getting hurt, but she was the reason that there was a fight in the first place!

"There's also the matter of Bella becoming one of us," the vampire added to my surprise and even Seth's eyes widened.

We all had known for a long time that it would come to that, but we had hopes that it wouldn't. I frankly didn't care, but there was still a treaty to withhold.

"What about it?" I asked in search of vital pack information.

Seth glanced at me and then crossed his arms over his chest almost in a self-hug as if he was worried about Bella's fate.

"Well," the doctor began, "As you have laws within your pack regarding vampires; we have laws regarding humans. Humans are not to know of our existence, and Bella is considered to know too much."

"Considered by who?" I asked as my eyebrows lowered, curiously.

"The Volturi," he answered directly and then stared into my eyes with his eerie, golden ones, "Alice has had a vision that the Volturi will come again."

I rolled my eyes as I remembered hearing talk about these vultures of theirs. _Pfft. Who would have thought that vampires have their own monarchy…_

"So, Bella Swan's going to be a vampire," I stated with a bored sigh, "I bet Chief Swan will _LOVE_ that."

Before the doctor could respond to my words a new beep sounded from one of the machines. The new beep was different from all of the other bleeps and bloops that I had heard over the past four months. This beep actually _meant_ something!

"Call Edward," the doctor ordered Seth and he quickly made a call on his cell phone.

"What is it?" I asked as I leaned forward, almost forgetting that I was way up in a tree.

I caught myself before I fell out of it and then watched as Seth moved closer to the bed.

"Jake," he asked as he shut his phone and then peered down at the comatose-Jacob.

"Is he waking up," I demanded, but again no one answered me.

The mind-reader suddenly appeared inside of the room as if he had been beamed-down from Captain Kirk's spaceship. The infamous Bella Swan followed close behind him, her hair looking all wind-blown as if she had arrived on the back of a motorcycle...or, on the back of a vampire. I watched with a scowl as she rushed to the side of Jacob's bed and grasped his hand.

"Anything," the doctor asked, looking pointedly at the mind-reader.

The mind-reader moved to Bella's side then and placed a hand at the small of her back.

"Maybe it would help if you talked to him," he suggested.

Bella nodded her head as she looked up into the eyes of her un-dead boyfriend, and then she focused her attention back on Jacob. The entire scene was making me sick.

"_Jacob," _I spoke to him in my mind, _"If you wake-up now, for her—I'll kill you!"_

It had been my words about Bella that had caused the change. I crossed my arms tighter and glared into the room. It would be _so_ like Jacob to wake up from a coma upon hearing that his beloved Bella would be turned into a bloodsucker! _Moron._

"Jake," Bella croaked, "It's me, Bells. Can you hear me?"

The mind-reader leaned in suddenly as he looked down at Jacob, and then he gave a nod to the doctor. _What did the nod MEAN?_

Bella let out a gasp then, but her big head was blocking my view of Jacob so I couldn't see what was happening! I growled in annoyance as I tried to see past them, but they were all gathered so closely around his bed.

"JAKE," Seth yelled, "LEAH, he's trying to open his eyes!"

My pounding heart felt like it had dropped from where I stood in the tree to come to a rolling stop on the ground. _He's awake! _I quickly climbed my way back down the tree, faster than ever before. My heart was pounding excited adrenalin through my veins. _Jacob's awake! The moron is finally awake!_ Once my feet hit the ground I ran for the entrance to the leech's house like a kid running after the ice cream truck. Having never been inside of their mansion, I didn't really know where I was going. I ran past a few of the vampires on my way up the staircase to the third floor. From there it was a straight-shot.

"Jacob," I breathed his name, breathless from all the excitement, as I stepped into his room for the first time. Despite their being so many vampires around the room, overwhelmingly, the room smelled like him. I stepped up to the foot of his bed, trying to ignore certain people standing beside it. His fingers tried to move then and his eyelashes fluttered. My hand shot out and grabbed his blanket-covered foot.

"Wake up," I demanded as I vigorously shook it, venting my eagerness to get him, and me, away from this place for good!

"Don't rush him," Seth said as he pulled my hand away from Jacob's foot.

Instinctively, I smacked Seth on the arm for touching me, and the vampires gawked at the two of us.

"Don't tell me what to do," I spat as I again grabbed Jacob's foot and shook it once more.

Bella gave another gasp just as Jacob finally opened his eyes. I, myself, temporarily stopped breathing and my heart forgot to pound. My hand let go of Jacob's foot to reach for my startled heart, and I grabbed at the thin tank top that covered my chest. Jacob blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the light, and then he looked around at the five faces hovering over him. His eyes were heavy-lidded. They were like the eyes of a person whose alarm clock had forced them out of bed at an unholy hour. He looked from the vampires to Seth, then from me to Bella, and then back to me, where his eyes stayed.

"Leah...Clearwater?" he asked his voice was raspy from lack of use and almost unrecognizable as his own.

I was utterly dumbfounded by the fact that he had said my name instead of Bella Swan's.

"What are—" Jacob paused to clear his dry throat and then looked around at everyone again.

He rose up on his elbows just slightly, despite the doctor's disapproval and attempt at easing him back into the bed. Jacob's nose wrinkled at the doctor-vamp as if he had smelled an offending odor. No doubt, it was the sickly-sweet, rotten fruit smell that the leeches reeked of. Jacob's eyebrows lowered in confusion as he looked around at us. He suddenly looked like a lost kid in a department store; a lost kid in the muscled body of six-foot-something man.

"Who are these people?" he asked as he looked from the leeches to Bella Swan.

We all looked around at each other for a moment with wide eyes. We were probably all thinking the same thing. We were all thinking: Amnesia! I opened my mouth to say something then, but Bella beat me to it by burying her head into her vampires chest and bawling. Jacob's face got a little more confused as he watched the mind-reader comfort the crying Bella. Amnesiac-Jacob looked to me with questions etched all over his face, but I gave him no answers. I just shrugged my shoulders carelessly while Bella went on blubbering like it was the end of the world. Clearly, Jacob had forgotten all about Bella Swan, and despite the disapproving gaze I was receiving from the mind-reader...a smile spread across my face. Jacob Black had forgotten Bella Swan. It was sweet justice and I almost did a victory dance!


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

With the exception of Seth, who stayed with the newly-awake Jacob, the rest of us had gathered downstairs in the leeches living room to talk about Jacob's condition.

"Retrograde Amnesia," the doctor repeated for the second time just to pacify me, but I still didn't understand what it meant. Obviously, the _good_ doctor hadn't understood what_ I_ meant by: "Huh?"

I sighed when the vampire didn't offer-up any more information and I stared off at the flat screen that was being watched by that one big vampire with the big arms. I cringed. My skin was literally crawling from being near to so many leeches. I wrapped my arms around myself for comfort, and then, grimaced, as the movement ruffled my clothes and stirred up that sickly-sweet vampire smell that had already started to set in. _Crap._

"Is it permanent, Carlisle?" Bella asked, her eyes still watery with tears.

"There is chance of that," the doctor answered and then put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Yet, more often than not, these cases are temporary, and patients tend to recover lost memories over time. With Jacob, it seems he may have lost a few years."

Bella sniffed and then turned to face her vampire lover-boy, who then reached up a hand to wipe a tear from her cheek.

"I guess," Bella began as she stared-up into his eyes, "It would be better, for Jake, if he didn't remember me."

I nodded, enthusiastically, in agreement as I stared off in another direction, trying not to look at the pathetic sight that was Bella Swan.

"_I know I'd feel better if I didn't remember you,"_ I thought and then felt someone's cold stare bore into the side of my face.

I turned my head to find that the mind-reader was giving me a dark look. My lip curled-up in disgust and I gave him a look back. When he turned away, I slouched forward with an annoyed sigh.

"Can we take him home, now?" I whined, desperate to get out of this place.

"As soon as he gathers his strength," the doctor replied with a smile.

Just about that same time—the mind-reader disappeared from our circle, leaving nothing but a breeze to blow past me in his absence. Then, a commotion was heard from upstairs and we all turned towards the staircase.

"LOOK OUT!" Seth yelled just before a large _boom_ and then a crash reverberated from the third floor.

The trampling sound of big paws hitting the floor echoed from the ceiling two floors up. I slowly turned around to face the group, noticing that the other vampires had gathered around, looking tense. They all gazed up towards the staircase with variations of shock on their faces, and I smiled with satisfaction.

"Guess he got his strength back," I added as the ruckus still continued upstairs.

"LEAH!" Seth called for me and I took off running out of the living room, and then up the stairs to the ruckus.

When I reached the third floor I could see the I.V. pole lying in the hallway along with a lot of other debris. I then moved for the doorway, stepping over hospital equipment to see a shaggy-looking wolf who was growling at Seth in fear. The bed Jacob had been in was turned over on the floor, and his two front pals were resting on it as if he was using the bed as a barrier between him and anyone else. His hackles were up and he had backed himself-up into the floor-to-ceiling picture window, putting himself in a corner. It was the very image of a frightened animal.

"He doesn't remember what he is," the mind-reader told me.

I rolled my eyes, "Thanks for the news flash, Captain Obvious."

The mind-reader angrily clenched his jaw, but he didn't say anything more. I took a step towards the giant russet-wolf then, and his lip curled back over his fangs as he gave me a warning growl. _Hmm, wonder what put his tail in a twist... _My eyes quickly flashed in Seth's direction, and I sent him an accusing look.

"Alright," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest, "What did you do to tick him off?"

"I," Seth began with an innocent shrug, "He—I just—"

"Jacob thinks it's the year 2003," the mind reader told me and the wolf whined from hearing it.

My eyebrows rose in surprise. Jacob had somehow lost three years; three years worth of memories!

"I told him it was 2006," Seth admitted and I looked into the almond-shaped eyes of the frightened wolf.

Jacob thought of himself as that normal 13-year-old, gangly kid who believed that Quileute legends were just the tribe elders attempt at scary story-telling. _Boy, did he have a big dose of reality coming! _I walked towards the large wolf then, and he gave me another warning growl, but it didn't faze me.

"Jacob," I said as I looked into his scared brown eyes, "It's okay. You're not alone. All those legends about our ancestors being descended from wolves—are true. You're going to be fine."

I reached up a hand towards his shaggy coat, no doubt the result of 4 months without a hair cut, and I attempted to rub the spot just between his eyes. The wolf jerked his head back for a moment, hesitant, but then he allowed me to pet him. I slowly smoothed back the thick fur on his head, trying to calm him, and then I looked at Seth.

"Call Sam," I instructed, "Tell him to phase. Just him and no one else. We don't want Jacob freaking out over having a bunch of other voices in his head."

At that, the wolf growled and shrank back from my touch, knocking against the glass, and it was only by some miracle that it didn't shatter. I turned to the mind-reader then with a question in my head, but before I could get a word out he nodded and moved for the window. He unlatched the two large panes of glass at the middle and pushed them open like shutters. The wolf jumped back into the room, nervous from having one of the walls he was backed into taken away.

"Sam's coming," Seth announced, "What do we do with Jake?"

I looked at Jacob and meaningfully tilted my head towards the open window. The wolf's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly and he backed himself up further into the wall. I rolled my eyes.

"Jacob!" I scolded, "You have super-strength, super-speed, and the ability to heal really fast! Suck it up, and jump out that window!"

I forcefully pointed a finger towards the window, and suddenly, Jacob rose-up onto all-fours, making the room seem even smaller. For a moment, I felt pretty damn proud of myself as if he was actually doing as I had ordered, but the mind-reader quickly shot me down from that cloud.

"It's Sam," that joy-sucking leech declared, "He's calling Jacob."

I sighed in annoyance. Apparently, not even a brain-damaged wolf, like Jacob, could resist the Alpha's call. The huge wolf moved towards the opening then, growling at us as he moved past. He whimpered as he got to the edge of the room and peered down at the ground far below. I was tempted to run up behind him and kick him out for sleeping for four months and being the reason I had to come "here"! But, before I could, Jacob jumped out of the room, whimpering his whole way down as if he had been pushed. No doubt it had been the power of the Alpha's command that pushed him. I walked to the edge of the room then, Seth at my side, and we looked down to the ground below. Jacob had landed on the grass, unscathed. We watched as he shook out his fur, sunlight hitting it and making its russet color appear redder. Wolf-Jacob turned his head back to look up at the window he had jumped from, his tongue lolled out of his mouth in self-satisfaction, and then with a flick of his tail, he ran off and disappeared into the trees. I gave a sigh of relief and Seth stared at me as he gestured towards the trees with his head, wearing a big grin on his face.

"Can I?" he asked, looking hopeful, and I shook my head, denying him his request to phase.

"We need to treat this like it's his first time," I said as I looked out towards the trees, "Because, to him—it is."

Seth nodded his understanding and glanced around the destroyed room.

"Sorry about the mess, Edward," I heard Seth say as I continued my stare out the window.

"Don't worry about it," the mind-reader replied, "We were already planning to clear-out this room once Jacob awoke."

"I guess Jake helped you out then," Seth said with a laugh.

I rolled my eyes as the two of them shared in the mirth, and I wondered about Jacob. I hoped that Sam was thoughtful enough not to remind him of the memories he had forgotten. And, by memories, I meant Bella Swan. If I had been given the opportunity to get bashed in the head by a vampire and then get a case of Sam-forgetting amnesia—I would have been game! Besides, Jacob would be one less pack member to be swooning over a girl, and I really hoped to never hear him have another Bella-thought, ever again! Suddenly, a tingle went up my spine and I turned my eyes away from the trees to see the mind-reader leaning close to me as he pulled the large window shut. I glared up at him as the glass closed in front of me, and he stared back at me, unaffected by my glare. It quickly dawned on me, then, that he had been reading my thoughts. My eyes narrowed.

"I hope for the same," he replied to my thought about Jacob. _Oh, I just bet you do._

I continued to glare at the mind-reader as I remembered re-living the moment that Bella had kissed Jacob before the fight with the newborns. The pack-mind was responsible for a lot of images I would love to get out of my head, and the mind-reader and I both cringed at the memory.

"Edward," Bella called him from the doorway and he glanced over his shoulder, "Can you hear his thoughts from here?"

The vampire and I shared a quick look, but it was long enough to tell me that he didn't want Bella thinking about Jacob either. I rolled my eyes and turned around to face Bella.

"Don't worry about, Jacob," I said, trying to sound nice, "He won't be thinking about anything, but his new wolf equipment: how it works, and what he can do with it."

With that, I moved past Bella, careful to give her a wide berth, and headed for the hallway.

"_Be a man,"_ I told the mind-reader, "_Don't let her talk you into letting her visit him all the time!"_

And then, there it was: a goal. Since the moment Sam had phased and then imprinted on my cousin, all of my plans and dreams had been smashed to smithereens. I hadn't had a single ambition of my own since then. But now, I was determined to protect Jacob. I was going to do whatever I could to protect him from his memories of Bella. I moved down the staircase then with purposeful steps. It was that worn-out saying, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", that was my motivation. I only wished that someone could have helped me forget Sam, but now, I just had to wait on time...

With a sigh and a scowl on my face, I took the last step off the staircase and walked into the leech's living room. Seth was standing amongst them, telling them about what had happened upstairs, and I noticed he had a big zip-loc bag in his hand that was filled with cookies. I closed my eyes as I took a deep calming breath. _Why, oh why, do these leeches have to feed my brother?_

"Seth," I said as I moved to his side, "We have to go see Billy."

A bunch of the vampires examined me for a moment as if they didn't buy my excuse to leave.

"Yes, that's a good idea," the doctor vamp agreed with his too-warm smile, "And please wish him well for us."

I nodded and then tugged on Seth's elbow.

"Thank you so much for all the help you gave Jacob. We're really grateful. Isn't that right, Leah?" Seth elbowed me and I gave him a death glare just before I noticed that I was being watched.

All the vampires were looking at me, their eerie, golden eyes stared at me with expectations, and in return, my eyes narrowed at them.

"Thank you," I forced myself to say as I grabbed Seth by his arm and jerked him towards the door.

"Bye!" Seth called to the vampires as I pulled him out of the house.

I could hear the leeches all call out their good-byes as Seth closed the door behind us.

"Leah, do you wanna try a cookie?" Seth asked as we started walking towards the trees, "Esme made them. They're really good."

"No," I said flatly as I walked ahead of him.

Seth ran up beside me then, "Are we going to walk home the whole way?"

I stopped in my tracks to contemplate this. Sure, we could get to La Push faster on four-legs than on two, but I didn't want anyone else phasing, especially not Seth. I looked over at my little brother. He would be the first one to try and remind Jacob about Bella. I couldn't have that.

"Stay here," I ordered him as I headed off into the woods to find a safe place to phase.

I came to a stop beside a tree and quickly shed off all of my clothes, not bothering to fold them. The vampire-stench coming from my discarded clothes was enough to make phasing a breeze. I just thought about how hard it would be to wash the smell out of them, and then voilà—the hot shivers shot up my spine. The heat and the tremors increased until I was no longer standing on two legs, but four. An overwhelming feeling of confusion hit me as my mind was linked to Jacob's. I tried to keep my mind silent so I wouldn't confuse him even more, but Jacob had a high-awareness for detecting other's presences...even if he didn't know it yet.

_What's that?_ Jacob asked, his pulse was pounding so fast that it felt as if it was rushing through my own veins.

_Leah. _Sam said my name in a way that I knew it was both an answer and a greeting.

The sound of Sam's voice caused a painful ache inside of my chest that I immediately tried to cover-up with hatred, but it didn't get past him. Sam, then, tried to cover-up his feelings of guilt, but it didn't get past me…or Jacob.

_What happened to you guys?_ Jacob asked, completely dumbfounded as his thoughts involuntarily played out memories of Sam and me from happier times. _It was like a never ending Disney movie __with you two: S__inging birds, frolicking animals, the whole nauseating bit._

The painful ache in my chest returned at Jacob's words but then they quickly changed to anger as I thought of Sam.

_Guess you haven't explained "imprinting" yet._ I spat at him, and it caused him frustration. _Well, that's a surprise! The only things you mindless-imprinting-morons think about are your imprints!_

_Imprints?_ Jacob asked.

_UGH!_ I mentally screamed as I quickly phased back to human-form, not wanting to hear Sam tell the tale.

With angry hands, I picked my clothes up from the ground and pulled them on. My shirt was backwards and inside-out, but I didn't care as I stomped-off towards the spot where I had left Seth. Like an obedient dog, he had stayed put, and the sight of him calmed me down a little. He was the one person I knew I could always count on…even if he did love to fraternize with the enemy.

"Come on," I called and he pulled his hand out of his nearly empty cookie bag as he looked up at me.

"So, we walk then?" he asked and I gave a nod as I took the first steps towards home.

"Jacob has a lot to learn," I said as I dodged past a tree, "Sam hadn't even covered the essentials, yet." _Not that "imprinting" was something essential!_

"Has he tried to phase back?" Seth asked from behind me, the sound of leaves crunched under his feet as he walked.

"No," I scoffed as I thought back to how his heart had raced when I had phased, "He's still too jumpy for that. But, that's a good thing."

Seth jogged up to my pace and gave me a quizzical look, "Why is that a good thing?"

I sighed.

"Because it means that I have plenty of time to make preparations," I said as I kept my eyes on the heavily wooded path before me, "And first things, first."

I stopped for a moment to give Seth my "I'm-you're-big-sister-and-I'll-hurt-you-if-you-don't-obey-me" look. Seth cringed.

"When you phase you are not to ever think about Bella Swan, and don't talk about her with Jacob either!" I ordered, shaking a finger at him for effect, "Do you want to cause him to remember her, and then, hear him moan and groan about how much she loves that stupid mind-reading leech?"

Seth looked at me with wide eyes that were filled with both fear and worry that his sister had gone completely insane. Seth slowly shook his head. No one wanted to hear Jacob mourn over Bella freakin' Swan again!

"Good. And, another thing," I paused as I stuck my hand out towards Seth, "Give me the phone. I have to call-in a favor..."

* * *

**Hmmmm... Who would "Leah" possibly call? and WHY? Any ideas? :)**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Paul's truck pulled up in front of the Black's house just as I made it to their driveway, alone: without Seth. I had sent Seth on a mission to fill-in our other pack members about my plan. "Operation Erase Bella Swan" had commenced.

I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched Paul climb out of his truck, shirtless as always, and hot-tempered as ever.

"What's this about, Leah?" his less than enthusiastic tone was a killjoy.

Paul slammed the truck door shut behind himself, walked towards me, and then copied my crossed-arm stance.

"Oh, spare me the 'I don't want to be here' act," I spat with a roll of my eyes, "You come here all the time when Rachel's home."

Paul sneered at me.

"But, she's not home, is she? She's at school. So, what do _you_—"

"Jacob's awake," I blurted out before he could finish.

Paul's eyes widened as he stared at me for a moment, and then he quickly shoved his hand in his pocket in search of something.

"I gotta call Rachel," he muttered to himself as he pulled out his phone.

Before he had a chance to press a button, I sprinted to his side and ripped the phone from his grasp. The look Paul gave me in that moment could have skinned a cat...or a wolf, considering how hard his eyes were boring into me. I shot him a "bring-it-on" smile as a barbaric, caveman-type-sound bellowed from inside of his chest, and then he started to shake. His shaking reminded me of the way a little kid would throw a temper tantrum when something was taken from them, and I found myself laughing as I witnessed the werewolf-equivalent of "candy being taken from a baby". Unfortunately, my laughing only caused his shaking to intensify— so I stopped.

"Okay, okay," I surrendered as I handed him his phone back.

Paul's frame was tense with anger as he grabbed the phone from me, and then bared his teeth in preparation to say something.

"Jacob has amnesia!" I shouted before he had the chance.

Paul loosened up a bit and his eyes widened at the news. I nodded at his response.

"Jacob thinks it's 2003. Sam's out there, right now, re-teaching him how to be a wolf."

"Whoa," Paul muttered as he ran a shocked hand through his cropped hair, "What else doesn't he remember?"

I stared meaningfully into Paul's eyes for a moment, wiggled my eyebrows as a sinister smile crossed my face, and then when his eyes flickered with recognition about "who" I meant—I nodded.

"No way!" he said with a laugh, "That's—that's—"

"Poetic justice," I finished his sentence for him, "See Paul, that's why I called you. I knew that you would understand."

Paul shot me a suspicious look.

"Understand, what?"

I sighed and my arms fell slack at my sides in frustration. Obviously I had overestimated Paul's ability to understand.

"We have to remove any reminders of Bella Swan from this house so there's nothing that might trigger his memory of her!" I spoke the words like they were the gospel truth.

Paul laughed and my eyes narrowed.

"LOOK," I yelled as I took a step towards him, "You don't like her. I don't like her. And she's done nothing but mess things up since she moved back to Forks! Do you really want to hear Jacob obsessing over her again?"

Paul looked away as he contemplated that and then he looked back at me.

"No. But—"

"GOOD," I yelled as I grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the house, "Here's the plan: I'm going to go in the house and tell Billy about Jacob. This will distract Billy while you get Jacob's motorcycle from the garage and tow it off somewhere."

Paul gave a humorless laugh, "So that's why you wanted me to bring the truck? Leah, you're crazy!"

I stopped as I neared the front of the house and then turned to give him a serious look.

"Please," I forced myself to say, "Just do it. I'd give anything not to remember Sam, and I really think that Jacob wouldn't want to remember Bella...given the choice."

Paul looked at me for a moment and threw his arms up in surrender.

"Fine!" he hissed and then held a finger up to my face in warning, "I'll do it, but I just want you to know that you have holes in your plan."

I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, just go!"

The TV was buzzing from inside of the living room and I could even hear a heartbeat as I neared the front door. I gave it two hard knocks and then waited.

"Door's open," an aged voice that was tried with worry called out.

My heart swelled with the good news that I would be delivering as I opened the door and walked into the house. Billy had his wheelchair parked next to the couch as he stared dejectedly at the TV screen.

"Leah," he greeted with a forced smile as I walked into the living room, "How's my boy?"

I looked into Billy's aged face which seemed impossibly pale, and then, for some reason, telling him the good news didn't seem so easy. Billy looked as if he had already given up. I was almost afraid that if I told him that his son was awake he'd have a heart attack...like my dad! Suddenly, I needed to sit down. I walked around the back of the couch and sat down on the side farthest from where Billy was parked. Then, I took a deep breath.

"Make yourself at home," Billy said, "Would you li—"

"Jacob's awake," I said and I closed my eyes tight, saying a tiny prayer.

"What?" Billy asked and the TV clicked-off.

I opened my eyes and turned to see Billy. His eyes were filling up with tears. I nodded at him, confirming what he thought he had heard me say.

"Jacob's awake, Billy. He woke up this morning."

Billy leaned forward and took the brakes off of his wheels before he looked up at me.

"Take me to see him!" he said as he wheeled himself forward.

I gave a nervous laugh. _Well, here comes the part about the amnesia..._

"He's not at the Cullen's place," I said and then bit down on my lip, "He's in the woods with Sam. He phased, Billy. But," I paused as I looked into a pair of eyes that, for the first time in a long time, shone with a spark of life, "He's forgotten all about phasing, and he thinks it's still 2003."

Billy's eyebrows lowered as he processed this, and his forehead wrinkled like the waves on a potato chip.

"I—," I opened my mouth to say something, but I was cut off by the ringing telephone.

Billy immediately wheeled himself over to a phone that was hanging on the wall and picked up the receiver.

"Jacob's awake!" he greeted the person on the other end of the line without carrying who it was.

"Hey Charlie! Can you believe my boy is awake?"

I rolled my eyes to find out that it was the chief of police who was calling and then I heard a sound from outside. I noticed the sound of metal banging against metal and I rose up from the couch to head for the door. Billy was deep in conversation. Apparently, Charlie Swan already knew about Jacob...

"_Well fine!"_ I thought, _"Let him give Billy the details!"_

I stepped outside just in time to see that Paul was closing his tailgate. The black motorcycle was already in the bed of his truck and I jogged towards it. Paul blew out a frustrated breath of air when he saw me.

"Well, it's done. So now what do I do with it?"

I shrugged, "I don't care. Keep it. Sell it. Trash it. Stash it. Whatever. Just get it out of here before he comes home!"

I scanned the tree line behind Paul and raised my nose upwards to sniff the air. Jacob and Sam were too far away to sniff out.

"This is stealing," Paul complained as he glared down at me.

I scoffed at his words as I looked at the motorcycle, "How can it be? The owner of that bike doesn't remember owning it!"

Paul shook his head at me, "Your plan has holes, Leah. Your plan has a lot of holes."

I watched him walk away then and climb inside of his truck. Part of me wondered what "holes" he was talking about. I followed after him just before he cranked the engine.

"Hey," I said as I knocked on the driver's side window, "What's so wrong with my plan?"

Paul rolled down his window and rested his elbow on the door.

"One," he said as he held up a finger, "You can't make that leech-lover disappear, and we both know that she'll be coming to see him."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I have an inside guy," I said with a curled-up lip as I remembered that the mind-reader and I shared a common interest, "He's supposed to keep her on a short leash."

"And two," Paul said, not carrying to hear who my inside guy was as he held up a second finger, "You can't hide the truth from him forever. That white girl was the cause of a lot of big events that have happened. She sealed herself a place in our history. We can't hide that from him."

I looked down at my bare feet and kicked at the dirt. He was right.

"We can for a little while," I said the words out loud, mostly, to reassure myself.

Paul looked into my eyes, saw how set I was on this plan, and then he cranked the trucks engine.

"Can't believe you're putting out so much effort for Jacob," he said, shaking his head.

My fists balled-up at my sides and I felt my skin flare red.

"GET THAT BIKE OUT OF HERE!" I yelled as I rose up a leg to kick his truck, making the body of it move.

"I'M GONE!" Paul yelled back as he peeled out on the dirt road and took off, leaving nothing but a dust trail behind him.

Well, almost nothing but a dust trail. His words were still left hanging in the air, and I was fuming over them. Sure, Jacob was a moron, but he got put into a coma trying to save me. It could have been me in a coma. It could have been me under the care of those leeches! Instead, it was Jacob. So, yes, I was grateful for that, and I owed him.

"LEAH!" Billy called from behind me.

I spun around to see him sitting in his doorway and waving his arm at me. I jogged towards him.

"Was that Paul's truck I saw?" Billy asked, squinting his eyes as he looked past me.

"Yeah," I replied, "I just, umm, told him the news about Jacob."

Billy smiled and then reached his hand out for mine. Without hesitation I gave him my hand and he placed his other hand on top of both of ours. His grip was firm and his hands felt cool against my abnormally hot skin.

"Thank you, Leah. Thank you for watching over Jake."

I looked at the ground, not feeling worthy of his gratitude, and I shrugged my shoulders.

"It was the leec—the Cullen's, really. Not me. That doctor took care of him," I admitted, but it was sort of painful to say. It was hard giving credit to vampires...even if it was due.

Billy gave my hand a firm handshake and then released me from his grasp.

"Either way," he began, "You were there."

I nodded. _That was for sure…_

"Leah, would you go check on the boy, for me?" Billy asked as he stared past me to the treeline.

I slumped forward with a frustrated sigh. No, I didn't want to go, but I couldn't say that. I wanted to do a quick scan of Jacob's room to make sure that there was no Bella-memorabilia in there, but I definitely couldn't say that. But, maybe…there was a way I could do both!

I gave another frustrated sigh, for show, and then said, "Can I at least go grab some clothes from his room? He doesn't have any, you know. If I never see one of those morons naked again it'll be too soon!"

"Sure," Billy said with a laugh as he rolled himself back inside the house and out of my way, "Good luck finding any. Jake's not too good about keeping up with the laundry."

I grimaced at that and walked through the house towards Jacob's room. I was surprised to find that his door was already open. It was as if Billy had left it that way on purpose, and he probably had. Jacob's room was very small. His bed nearly took-up the entire space and still he had managed to squeeze a dresser in there. It was a miracle. There were posters of cars on his walls, but no pictures of Bella as far as I could see. There had to be something, though. I feared that what I was looking for was probably hidden under the piles of clothes. There were clothes everywhere: Clothes on the floor, clothes on the bed, clothes on top of the dresser. I scowled at the laundry. _Freakin' Jacob. _His dresser was my last hope, and it wasn't much of one. There was a grand total of three drawers. I opened the first one and found one pair of cut-offs jeans that were neatly folded inside. I grabbed them so I'd have something to show for and went on to drawer number two. The second drawer contained about five, folded t-shirts. I grabbed one even though shirts weren't popular with my fellow pack members and then shut the drawer. When my hand grabbed the handle of the third drawer—I knew I had found something. The last drawer was heavy and not so easy to pull out, but when I did...I knew I had hit the jackpot!

"Everyone has a junk drawer," I said to myself as I stared down into Jacob's.

There was everything from car manuals to little blocks of wood, from rusty wrenches to bottle caps inside of that drawer. I pushed past the first layer of junk then and moved stuff around until I found a medium-sized, flat box. I was half afraid of what I might find in the box. My mind thought up a hundred gross things that might be inside, but as I pulled off the lid...not even one of them was right. I had found his Bella-stash. There were folded-up letters inside of the box which I recognized from having shared Jacob's mind. They were the letters Bella had sent him when he was trying to get over her.

"_She just kept reeling him back in,"_ I thought as I skimmed over some of the words, and then angrily crumbled the letter up inside of the box.

There was also a movie ticket stub for some horror flick. There was a picture of him and Bella during her zombie period. But, the most aggravating of all were the 4 little, imperfect wolf figurines that shuffled around inside of the box as I shook it. It took him 5 tries to get that wooden wolf carving just right. My chest heaved and my nostrils flared as I wondered if she knew how many times he had cut his fingers while carving that damn thing for her. She so wasn't worth it. I put the lid back on the box and then hid it between the clothes I had found. Then, with one more glance around the messy, closet-sized room—I walked out.

"Any luck?" Billy asked from his place next to the couch.

I nodded.

"I guess," I said and then pointed a thumb over my shoulder at Jacob's room, "But, when he gets home—first things first! You should make him clean that room. Don't go easy on him just because he's been in a coma for 4 months. There's no wrong time to reestablish your line of authority, Billy."

Billy gave a hearty laugh and it was a good sound to hear. I was pretty sure it had been about 4 months since his last good laugh.

"Well," I began as I started walking, "I'm going to go check in on him, and then after I come back here—I'm checking out."

Billy nodded, "Thank you again, Leah."

I gave him a small smile just before I walked out of the living room and then headed for the door. I opened the front door just wide enough to hear two familiar voices which I should have been aware of a lot sooner! _Billy had distracted me! _I let the door fall open as a shirtless Sam and a very healthy-looking, shirtless Jacob, whom no one would've guessed had been comatose just hours ago, walked towards the house from the trees. For a moment, I marveled at the sight of him walking. For 4 months I had seen him lying immobile in a hospital bed, looking like a pallid dead man, but suddenly he was walking. It almost felt like a dream. A dream that was quickly turning into a reality where I...panicked!

_Crap! I have to hide this box!_ I swallowed a gulp of air and ran back inside the house.

"Leah," Billy said, sounding surprised, "What—"

"Jacob's here!" I blurted out, more to myself than to him.

_What am I going to do with this box!_ I looked around the living room for a quick place to stash it, but Billy was watching me.

"Dad, I'm home!" Jacob called from the front door and Billy wheeled himself, faster than I knew he could, towards it.

I quickly shrunk back inside of the living room and threw Jacob's clothes over my shoulder, not carrying where they landed.

"Jacob! Son!"

Billy held his arms out for his son and they hugged. Jacob tried to pull away after only a moment, but Billy held on to him a little longer. When Jacob was finally able to pull away, he grinned down at his father.

"Man, dad. You look _old!_"

Billy chuckled, "Well son, you look like you need a haircut."

Jacob rose up a strong-looking arm to pull a strand of his black hair in front of his face, to measure. The strand of hair fell to his chin, and then with a deep chuckle he smoothed it back.

"I guess so," he replied as he looked down at the man in the wheelchair.

"It's good to see you, son," Billy said as he wiped a stray tear from his eye.

Jacob smiled and placed his hand on his father's shoulder, "It's good to see you too, dad."

They regarded each other for a moment until Jacob took a step back and glanced around the house.

"This place hasn't changed mu—"

Jacob paused as his eyes fell on to me and a grin spread across his face. The grin startled me, causing my heart to pound, double-time, and for the life of me…I couldn't explain why.

"Leah!" Jacob called my name as if he was excited to see me and then moved in my direction.

The room felt like it was getting smaller as his imposing form approached me. I clutched the box tightly to my side as Jacob came at me with open arms. He enveloped me in a hot embrace, which was only made hotter by my own abnormal body heat as his hard body pressed to mine. He laid his head in the crook of my neck, giving me a squeeze with his strong arms wrapped around me, pinning my arms to my sides. My stupid cheeks flared red just before he pulled away.

"Thank you," he said as he looked down at me with an intense and interested gaze, "Sam said that you looked out for me while I was a vegetable."

I rolled my eyes at his usage of the word "vegetable" and then glared at Sam.

"Don't believe everything Sam tells you," I said and it earned me a look from Sam, who was standing near the door.

"Well, Billy," I began as I side-stepped past Jacob, "Your son is home, safe and sound. So, I'm going now. Bye."

I quickly turned to leave with the box tucked safely under my arm. They all called-out their good-byes then, Jacob's almost sounded reluctant, and Sam's good-bye followed me out the door...literally.

"WHAT?" I spat as Sam closed the front door behind him.

"What's in the box, Leah?" Sam asked as he eyeballed what I was trying to hide.

"UGH!" I groaned and stomped-off to a safe whispering distance from Jacob's super-powered ears. Sam followed me down the dirt driveway to a spot just on the other side of the road.

"Did you tell him about his old heartthrob, Bella Swan?" I asked in a harsh whisper as I glanced towards the house.

Sam's eyes shone with a threatening glow as they usual did just before he went-off on someone. I crossed my arms over my chest just wishing that he would.

"No," Sam's whisper was just as harsh, "I didn't see the point of telling him about a relationship he couldn't remember."

My lips smiled at him, but my eyes didn't.

"Good," I whispered and then looked down at the box poking out from under my crossed arms, "I found this box in his room. It has all of his Bella-stuff in it. And I had Paul tow Jacob's motorcycle off somewhere."

Sam quirked an eyebrow and looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"Why?"

I groaned in frustration, sick of having to explain myself, and even sicker that I was explaining myself to Sam.

"Because," I spat as I walked off, "I don't want Jacob to be reminded of that relationship that he doesn't remember!"

Sam didn't follow me as I headed off down the road. He knew me well enough to know when it was okay to follow me and when it was best to back off. And _this_, was definitely one of those back-the-hell-off times...


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: The consensus seems to be that Jacob's going to be mad when he finds out that his pack is working to keep things (namely, Bella) from him. It makes a lot of sense! Who wouldn't be mad? But, I'm hoping that since Leah (the last girl he remembers being interested in) is behind it all...that _that_ might "soften the blow", so-to-speak. Maybe even be "flattering" to him. Who knows! But, that time is a long time coming. In the mean time, thanks for reading and here's this...**

.

* * *

Chapter 4

October 19, 2006

**As far as I'm concerned there are only two ways into a werewolves heart: One, through imprinting; and two, through food.**

I woke up the next morning to the smell of food—all kinds of delicious smelling foods. I rolled out of bed wide-awake, wearing only an over-sized t-shirt that had once belonged to my dad, and I followed my nose out of my room.

"Morning, Leah," Charlie Swan greeted me from the couch in the living room as I walked down the hallway towards him.

"Hey, Charlie," I greeted back just as he turned the page of the newspaper he was reading.

My mom often supplied Charlie with breakfast and coffee, so I wasn't surprised to see him. These days he came around a lot, but as the food smells wafted-up to my nose—I didn't care to ponder that. The yummy smells led me past Charlie and into the kitchen where steamy, home-cooked dishes were left unguarded on the counter tops. There was a "rumbly in my tumbly" as the great Pooh Bear had once said, and my most basic instinct had me lunging for the silverware drawer. I took out a fork and made-way to plunge it into my mom's famous tater tot casserole.

"UHN UH!" my mom's utterance of disapproval stopped me mid-plunge and I hid the fork behind my back.

Charlie gave a quiet, but amused laugh from the living room that didn't get past my ears.

"What's going on?" I asked as I smiled at her, trying to act innocent, "Did Thanksgiving come early this year?"

She rolled her eyes at my theatrics.

"Christmas," she corrected me, "Jacob, waking-up, couldn't have been a better gift for Billy."

It was my turn to give an eye-roll then. _So, all this food is for Jacob! _I looked wistfully at the casserole as my mom came up behind me and grabbed the fork I was holding.

"Don't worry, Leah," she said as she tossed my fork in the sink, "You'll have a chance to have some at the party."

My eyes narrowed and my voice took on a testy-note.

"What party?"

I turned my back to the counter as I watched my mom roll-out a long piece of aluminum foil.

"Jacob's Awakening Party," she replied as she began to cover one of the less-steamy dishes with the foil. "_Awakening party"? _

"Please don't tell me that some idiot is actually calling it that!"

Charlie tried to cover-up his laugh with a cough as my mom pursed her lips, and then narrowed her eyes in his direction.

"I, am calling it that," she admitted as she looked back at me, "And there's nothing idiotic about it! We are celebrating his awakening; therefore, it is an 'Awakening Party'."

She rolled-out another piece of foil, and I shrugged my shoulders, not caring what she decided to call the stupid party. Just then, Seth stumbled out of his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hey, what's go—CASSEROLE!" Seth cheered as he lunged for the silverware drawer.

Our mom immediately shut him down with her famous utterance of disapproval, and Seth and I ate cereal for breakfast while the chief of police continued to chuckle under his breath. It was just another morning at the Clearwater residence.

.

* * *

.

The wind whipped at my fur as I stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the waves as they crashed against the rocks. I could feel the moisture in the air and taste the salt of it on my tongue as I gave a bored yawn.

_You gonna jump? _One of the morons inside of my head asked me.

The others laughed at the thought of me jumping and I bared my fangs at the stretch of ocean in front of me.

_Only if you and I were the last two people in this world, Call. _I snapped back at him as I turned away from the cliff and trotted back into the woods.

Jacob's two best pals were giving me hell about the whole Bella thing, but they had stuck to the plan so far. Deep down they all knew that I was right.

_You wish._ Embry Call answered my thought. _Jacob has a right to know everything! We're only following along because Sam said to._

I growled at that and if I hadn't already been a wolf that piece of information would have ticked me off enough to turn me into one. _Damn Sam._

_You should let it go, Leah._ Quil tried to advise me. _Jacob's going over to the Cullen's today. If __something doesn't jog his memory first, he's going to find out everything soon enough._

_The Cullen's!_ Bella would probably be there! I took off running for my house then, zooming past the trees and plowing down anything that got in my way that didn't take me down first.

_SETH!_ I yelled for my brother who was somewhere in the woods. _Did you know about this?_

_Well, yeah. Billy asked me to go with them. _He admitted. _But, it's noth—_

_He asked you WHAT? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME? GET DRESSED! _I mentally yelled just before I phased back to human.

I had not wanted it to EVER come to this_,_ but I had to go back to the leeches place. I couldn't risk the chance that Bella Swan would get Jacob alone. And so, I was going to tag along with the Black's on their trip to visit the leeches, but this time—I would be prepared. This time it wouldn't matter if I left from that place smelling like a barrel of fermented peaches. This time my clothes would be inflammable.

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* * *

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Upon nearing the house, I both could smell and hear the visitors inside of it. When I reached the driveway I saw the red Volkswagen sitting there and I knew that Jacob was inside. Stealthily, I snuck around to the back of the house, realizing that Jacob would be able to sense me, but I trusted him not to mention it to our parents. I wanted to avoid chit-chat from Billy so I could jump right into searching my room for a disposable outfit. Carefully, I crept in through the back door, opening and then closing the door so quietly that I doubted that a person with super-hearing could have heard it. Then, I tip-toed down the hallway to get to my room. Billy and my mom were talking in the living room as I neared my door, but Jacob was silent. Jacob was somewhere near, but I just couldn't tell where, exactly. I quickly slid inside my open doorway then and quietly closed my door behind me.

"Leah!" a surprised-sounding voice called from behind me and I about jumped out of my skin.

I spun around, keeping my back pressed to the door as I stared wide-eyed at the tall, shirt-wearing boy who was standing in front of my dresser. My eyes narrowed once I realized it was Jacob.

"WHAT-THE-HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?" I yelled as I stared at him, fists clenched tight at my sides.

A smug look formed on Jacob's face as he leaned back against my dresser, making himself comfortable as he looked at me. My eyes sized him-up, recognizing, immediately, that he was wearing the same t-shirt and cut-off jeans that I had plucked from his drawers. All of a sudden, I felt like kicking myself.

"I thought it was fair-play," Jacob shrugged, as he quirked an eyebrow at the walls of my bedroom, which had been the same shade of periwinkle since I was 8. I tried to ignore this as I considered his words: "_Fair-play"?_

"How do you mean?" I nearly growled.

Jacob grinned at me. It was a true grin, without any malice, and it even spread to his eyes, causing them to flicker. Something about it scared me.

"You came in my room yesterday," he shrugged, "I thought it was only fair if I came in yours."

Part of me wanted to drag him out of my room by his hair; the other part of me was paralyzed with the shock of being caught.

"Billy sent me in your room to get you some clothes," I defended myself.

"Sure, sure," Jacob nodded, looking me straight in the eye as he tried to conceal his smile, "But you also went through my junk drawer."

I opened my mouth to say something but no words came out. I was silently cursing myself for having forgotten all about our "super-sniffing" ability, and about my own scent that I had obviously left behind. Jacob turned his back to me then and he picked something up off of my dresser.

"You know, it's weird," he said, with his back still turned to me, "There's a lot of stuff in that drawer that I don't remember. There was even a manual for a Harley Sprint in there. I guess I fixed up someone's motorcycle at one point, but I can't remember doing it."

Jacob's broad shoulders rose and then fell with a heavy sigh. Every tiny moment he made was showcased under his too-tight t-shirt as every muscle was well defined. I quickly glanced away then, cursing myself for noticing, but there was just something about seeing one too many naked guys that made me appreciate the ones who wore clothes.

"Nice wolf," Jacob said as he turned around to face me, holding a little brown object between his two, thick fingers.

I watched in horror as he carefully placed the wolf back down on my dresser, and my pulse shot-up, realizing he had been holding one of the wolves he, himself, had carved! I immediately felt stupid for keeping the wolves at all.

"_Idoit! You should have thrown them out with the rest of that crap!" _I internally yelled at myself, but I just couldn't bring myself to throw them away.

"Leah, are you okay?" Jacob asked as he crossed the distance between us with two long strides and placed a big warm hand on my shoulder.

I sighed in frustration. He had noticed the acceleration of my heart rate. _Of course. _

"Peachy," I hissed as I glared up at him and then shrugged his hand off of my shoulder, "I just don't like people messing with my stuff."

Jacob laughed and then stared pointedly into my eyes, "I know what you mean."

The way he stared at me made me feel uncomfortable. It was different from the way he used to look at me. All the guys in the pack either looked at me with despise or boredom, and Jacob had once done the latter. I suddenly wondered if he had lost more than just his memory.

"You really can't remember anything past 2003?" I asked, my eyebrows lowering as I searched his eyes for truth.

"Nope. One of the last things I remember, actually, was my sisters' graduation party. Do you remember?" he asked as he lowered his eyebrows, searching my eyes for recognition, "I'm pretty sure that you and Sam were there."

A hard lump formed in my throat that made it hard for me to swallow as I remembered that day on the beach. Rebecca and Rachel had smuggled in some beer to their beach party and the alcohol had made me brave. My heart ached, bitterly, at the memory because though, to Jacob, it was his sisters' graduation party; to me, it was mine and Sam's..."first time". I crossed my arms over my chest, sort of hugging myself from the memory, and Jacob noticed.

"Man, I'm such an idiot," Jacob growled and then cursed under his breath.

Jacob's words snapped me out of my sad-nostalgia and I examined him. His eyes glared down at the floor and his lips were in a tight line as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I'm sorry, Leah," he said without meeting my gaze, "I didn't mean to upset you."

I let my crossed-arms fall to my sides. My first reaction was to pretend like it hadn't upset me, but I'd only be fooling myself. Jacob's gaze slowly rose-up from the floor to meet mine, then. I gave my shoulders a careless shrug as I looked at him.

"I'm getting over it," I said, and then immediately wondered whether it was true or not.

He looked at me as if he didn't buy it, staring at me as if he thought he could read my mind if he tried hard enough. I cleared my throat under the awkwardness of his stare and then grabbed for the knob on my door.

"You know," Jacob began, giving me a serious look and it distracted me from kicking him out, "I think Sam's the one who got the raw end of this whole imprinting deal."

I glared up at him and squeezed the knob on the door so tight that I thought I might break it off. _Who-the-hell did he think he was to try and tell ME who got the raw end of the deal! I WAS THE ONE WHO—_

"No offense to Emily," Jacob added with a shrug, "But Sam's the one who got slighted—not you. I mean, you can find another Sam, easily. But, Emily's no Leah Clearwater."

My grip loosened-up on the door knob as it dawned on me what he was really trying to say. My eyes widened and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, adding more color to my copper skin. A grin formed on Jacob's face at my reaction. It was another one of those grins that caused his eyes to flicker and it calmed me down enough that I rolled my eyes.

"Just wait until you re-try some of Emily's cooking," I said, making an attempt at lightheartedness,"Then you'll think differently..."

Jacob's eyes smiled down into mine as he shook his head in disagreement, but it didn't affect me. _Pfft! What could an amnesiac possibly know? _

"Emily doesn't have to share her head-space with her brother, her ex, and a bunch of other guys," Jacob defended.

I took a deep breath. _Hmm._ _Maybe amnesiac's did know a thing or two._

"Look, Jacob," I began and he crossed his strong arms over his chest, lowering his black eyebrows as he gave me his full attention, "I hate to bust-up this conversation that we're having, but I really have to change clothes now."

Jacob quickly uncrossed his arms and his eyes went wide.

"OH," he said as his face got flustered.

"I should go, then," he deduced and then gave a sheepish laugh, "Sorry, Leah."

I waved him off as I pulled the door open for him to leave. I had almost forgotten how much of a boy he was.

"Later," he said with a grin before walking out of my room and I only nodded.

Jacob didn't know it yet, but "later" would be sooner than he was expecting. I still had plans to meet him and Billy at leech-manor, despite my not wanting to. I peered out of my doorway then, watching as Jacob headed down the hallway towards the living room.

"_Freakin' Jacob," _I thought to myself, shaking my head as I pulled back inside and then closed my bedroom door.

Jacob Black was the only person in the world to ever think that "I" was a better option than Emily. I tried not to think about _why_ that was as I opened my closet door and then sunk down to my hands and knees, looking for something suitable to wear. Something suitable enough to be burned.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Even though there are so many different kinds of "Twilight fans" out there; I'm willing to bet that the "Blackwater fans" are the most passionate. Seriously, if there was some way to measure one's level of passion for fictional characters..."Blackwater fans" would probably break the meter! You guys are AWESOME!**

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* * *

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Chapter 5

The black cord around my ankle suddenly became extra uncomfortable as I phased back to human. The two sets of clothes that were wrapped up in grocery bags and tied to my ankle, awkwardly, sagged down on to my foot. I sighed in annoyance as I unwrapped the clothes. _Oh, the joys of being a werewolf._

"Hurry up, Leah!" Seth yelled from an unseen distance through the trees.

I groaned at him and then quickly slipped into my bad clothes, setting the good ones aside for later. Seth was probably waiting on the porch in front of leech manor by now, but there was little I could do about it. It wasn't fair. The guys always had less clothes to put on than I did!

With long quick strides, I sprinted to the front of their house. Seth wasn't waiting for me on the porch like I imagined. Instead, I could hear his blasted voice from inside of the leeches house. I groaned, loudly. Jacob and Billy hadn't even arrived and I didn't want to go inside until I absolutely had too. I could already smell their vampire stench from outside.

"Leah!" Seth's voice suddenly called out to me from the cracked-open front door, "Come on!"

Seth waved for me, excitedly, beckoning me to come inside. He probably thought that I was warming up to these leeches or something, but I wasn't! I was just motivated by my own agenda.

"I'll wait for Billy," I said and walked from the house, towards fresher air.

No sooner had I took one step that the red car turned the corner and then pulled into the leeches driveway. Watching Jacob climb out of that VW was almost like watching a clown climb out of one of those really tiny cars. It was like watching a magic trick or something. Jacob stood up to his full height as he got out of the car. I could tell that he was tense, but his height, alone, made him seem tough; relaxed, even. I watched how his hands shook as he shut the car door, but I wouldn't judge. _I hate being here, too._

"How can you be so calm?" he said as he glanced towards me.

I gave a laugh at the irony of, him, asking, me, a question like that. I had never considered myself to be "calm" when I was around the vampires. Calm—was too gentle-sounding, and my feelings towards the vampires were not gentle.

"Practice, I guess," I replied with a shrug.

"But, the smell," he began, scowling as he raised-up an arm to his face to shield his nose, "It just—I don't know—something about it makes me want to hit something."

I watched with wide eyes as Jacob shoved his angry, shaking fists inside of his pockets, and then I glanced to Billy who was sitting in the passenger seat of Jacob's car. I wondered whether the vampire stench just evoked Jacob's instinct, or if it was evoking his memory of Edward Cullen. Scents had a way of evoking memories. I knew this from experience.

"Takes practice," I repeated to him, "A lot of practice."

Jacob nodded and took a deep breath, holding the vampire-polluted air into his lungs, until, with a gasp, he exhaled. I gulped, partly from disgust and partly in awe because I would have never tried it. Jacob noticed my grimace.

"Accelerated practice," he shrugged and then opened his back door to pull out the wheelchair.

I watched as Jacob then wheeled the chair around to the passenger side and helped Billy on to the seat. I had seen Jacob start to turn bitter, thanks to Bella Swan. I knew what "bitter" looked like. I could spot it a mile away. I was bitter. But, in all the years that Jacob had to push his dad around in that wheelchair and do other things for him—he had never gotten bitter about it. That was something to be said about Jacob Black.

"Jake!" Seth yelled from the porch.

I turned around to see my little brother and the procession of vampires that followed him out of the house. I took a few steps backwards as Jacob wheeled Billy forward, and then I stopped when I was flanking Jacob's side.

"It's good to see you, Billy," the doctor greeted.

Jacob's hands took an extra firm grip on the handles of the wheelchair as the doctor-vamp approached.

"How are you, Jacob?" he asked, looking at his recent patient.

"Jake still can't remember a few things," Billy answered for him and Jacob's frame relaxed at the calmness in Billy's voice.

"I'm afraid that there's a possibility his memories might never return," the doctor said, sounding truly regretful as he looked from Billy to Jacob.

"Can't miss what I don't remember," Jacob said with a shrug just as the mind-reader led Bella out of the house.

Hearing Jacob's words, Bella bit down on her lip as if she might cry, and her vampire lover boy placed a comforting hand on her back as they walked towards us.

"Be nice, Leah," Seth, who I hadn't even noticed, whispered in my ear as Bella approached.

I then noticed that the doctor vamps wife was standing near him, and that all the other leeches were on the porch as if they were standing-guard. I looked up at Jacob, noticing that his eyes were on alert and they were shooting glances at everything. He didn't miss a beat.

"Hey, Billy," Bella greeted with a sickeningly meek voice and my spine went tense as Jacob looked at her.

"Hello, Bella," Billy said in a tried voice as he reached out a hand to shake hers, "Jacob," he paused, letting her hand go, "You remember Charlie's daughter."

"Sure," Jacob said, giving her a smile as he reached his long arm around the wheelchair for her hand.

I watched with narrow eyes as Bella carefully took his hand, examining his face as they shook hands for a moment too long. When Jacob stepped back behind the wheelchair, he glanced between the mind-reader and Bella with interest. The mind-reader gave Bella a nod as she looked up at him and then she focused her eyes back on Jacob.

"This is Edward," Bella introduced her bloodsucker to Jacob and I stared at him, gauging his reaction, "We're engaged."

Jacob raised an eyebrow and then glanced at me and Seth, silently saying: "WTH". We nodded, confirming it, and then a disgusted look crossed Jacob's face. He looked back to the human and the vampire, who's coupling seemed like a nightmare from some Tim Burton movie, and we all waited for Jacob to say something. Jacob opened his mouth then just a Bella's bracelet-wearing arm reached-up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hey," Jacob said as he pointed at the bracelet with the wooden wolf charm, "Leah has one of those wolves."

My heart dropped to the ground and I stopped breathing. Bella glanced at me with her eyebrows lowered in confusion and I stared back at her with my eyes wide in fear. Jacob looked between the two of us as if he was missing something—and he was.

"Jake," Bella said, giving away that she had been acquainted enough with him to use his nickname. I sneered at her.

"This," she began as she gently touched the wolf dangling from her bracelet, "was—"

"Something we bought from the same store!" I blurted out before she could finish what she was about to say.

Seth kicked my shoe from behind and everyone else, vampires included, stared at me.

"We did," I lied and then glared at Bella, daring her to deny it.

Bella looked up at her mind-reader who was trying to conceal his amusement, and then she looked at Jacob, and nodded to him, confirming my lie.

"That's cool," Jacob said, and then glanced down at me.

I could tell by his expression that he wasn't buying it, but he didn't say anything.

"Well," Billy said as he slowly stuck out his hand to the doctor, "We just wanted to come by and thank you in person."

We all watched as Quileute and vampire shook hands. It was a rare moment that wasn't lost on Jacob. His eyebrows lowered as if he was contemplating something. I imagined that it had something to do with werewolf/vampire relations and how things between our kinds weren't "black and white" anymore.

"Thank you for everything you did for my boy," Billy said just before he broke hands with the vampire.

"Glad we could help," the doctor-vamp replied, "I'm glad we could get Jacob home safe to you."

"Later better than never!" Seth added too cheerfully from behind me and I elbowed him in the stomach. It was payback for him kicking my shoe.

"Bella? Will we see you at the party tonight?" Billy asked.

Bella looked up at Jacob and Jacob smiled at her.

"Yes," she replied with a nod to Billy, "I'll be coming with Charlie. We're bringing lasagna."

"Mmmm," Seth hummed from behind me and I rolled my eyes.

"We'll see you then," Billy said and Jacob wheeled him back to the car.

The doctor and his wife wished us all well, again, and then they all went back inside, except for Bella and the mind-reader. Never-the-less, it had lessened the vampire odor. I watched as Jacob waved good-bye from his car, and I could feel the mind-reader's eyes bore into the side of my face all-the-while. The feeling of having a vampire stare you down is a sensation similar to having a fly swarm you. As Jacob's car drove away, I turned my head to glare at the mind reader, and Bella noticed our interaction. She looked at me with her big "deer in the headlights" eyes, and then hesitantly opened her mouth.

"Jacob carved you a wolf, too?" she asked, curiously.

I sighed in frustration and gave her a bored look.

"No," I said, "It just took him a couple of tries to carve one perfect enough to give you."

Bella bit her lip at my words and then closed her eyes tight before looking at me again. I looked her up and down and then shrugged. _What did Jacob see in her?_

"So, did he—"

Bella began to speak but I cut her off.

"Look," I began, "I stole the reject-wolves from him. He saw them at my house. I didn't tell him that he was the one who made them. Okay?"

I groaned and then started walking off, holding my head high, and not sparing another glance to Bella Swan.

"Come on, Seth!" I called as I headed for the trees.

But, the fact that I didn't immediately hear his footsteps behind me—was a bad sign.

"I'm going to hang out here until the party," Seth said and I stopped in my tracks.

I could feel those eerie golden-eyes boring into me again, along with a pair of doe eyes, and the eyes that Seth was lucky to have! I gave an angry sigh and then marched into the trees.

"_Fine,"_ I thought, bitterly, _"If Seth wants to choose the leeches over his sister—that's just FINE!"_

I went to the spot where I had left my good clothes and then I started pulling off the bad ones. The bad ones had that terrible vampirey-fermented-peach smell. I nearly gagged as I wadded them up into a tight bundle and then placed them on the ground far from any shrubs or trees. I had a lighter inside the pocket of my good clothes and I intended on using it. There was just something about setting things on fire that always calmed me. Watching the flames flare up and flicker was always a tranquil sight, and the heat was often comforting. But, mostly, it was just fun to burn stuff. It was a good way to vent all my pent-up anger that was otherwise repressed.

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* * *

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A miniature bonfire was blazing a few yards off to the side of the Black's house, sending sparks up towards the night sky. A bunch of my idiot pack members were gathered around it as a song with a heavy beat blared from the stereo on the ground. The beats of the music were so loud that I could feel it pulsing through my body stronger than my own heart as I walked closer towards the boys.

"Hey—Leah," Seth greeted me, halfheartedly, as if he had been forced to.

The others stopped in mid-laugh, and in mid-hot-dog-bite, and in mid-whatever-the-hell-they-were-doing to look at me with their bored stares. Jacob was among them. He didn't give me the same look as the other morons had, instead his stare was scrutinizing, but it sure didn't make me feel anymore welcome than the others.

"UGH!" I groaned and then stomped off towards the house while the jerks behind me went back to laughing.

The front door of the house was propped wide open as I approached it. The light coming from inside of the house poured on to the ground outside and I could hear high-pitched laughs and giggles coming from the kitchen. I stepped through the doorway and into the living room where Billy, again, was parked in front of the TV. I greeted him in passing as I walked towards the kitchen, where the voices were chatting away.

"November 11th!" the voice of my cousin spoke of a date with fondness, "I can't wait!"

My feet stopped moving then.

"I've always loved Fall weddings," my mother confirmed my dread and I suddenly felt the urge to run.

I spun around and plowed right into a hot, but solid object. I looked up to see Jacob standing before me in the middle of the living room. He looked down at me with those dark brown eyes of his that seemed to be filled with more understanding than I would have liked. Jacob grinned.

"'Getting over it', huh?" he mocked my words from earlier.

I sneered up at him, and then with a growl, I shoved him aside and against the back of the couch as I marched forward. He laughed from behind me, but then, abruptly, quit.

"Where are you going, Lee-Lee?"

The sound of Sam's voice stopped me mid-march and I turned around to see him. Sam was giving me his sympathetic "I'm-sorry-I-imprinted-on-your-cousin" look. I shrugged my shoulders, nonchalant.

"Nowhere," I said as Jacob crossed his arms over his chest, wearing a smug look.

"Leah! Hi!" Emily greeted as she popped her head out from around Sam, who nearly filled up the kitchen doorway. I looked at Sam once more before I acknowledged my cousin.

"Hey," I replied with an attempt at a smile as she rushed forward to hug me.

She gave me a good squeeze and I closed my eyes for a moment against her shoulder, missing the way we used to be.

"Haven't seen you around for a while," she said as she pulled back to look me over.

I rolled my eyes and then glanced pointedly at Jacob.

"Haven't much felt like socializing," I replied as I looked back at Emily, "Being around a _corpse_ and a bunch of smelly vampires is sort of a downer."

Everyone's expressions fell at my words, and Jacob stared down at his feet. The room went silent.

"_Jeez, Leah,"_ I silently said to myself,_ "You sure can kill a party..."_

"Knock, knock!" a deep, tired-sounding voice greeted from the doorway behind me.

I turned around to see Charlie standing at the threshold and I sighed in annoyance. _Wonderful. Bella's here._

"Charlie!" Billy greeted cheerfully and wheeled himself through the crowded living room to get to his friend, "'Bout time you got here."

"Sorry, Billy," Charlie said as he threw a thumb over his shoulder, "Was waiting on Bells, here."

Bella walked in behind him. Her cheeks turned red as she looked down at the rectangular shaped food dish she was carrying and Jacob moved towards her.

"Here, let me take that for you," he said as he grinned at her, his eyes twinkling. O_h no!_

It must have been the way she blushed. Something about blood rushing to the skin was a turn-on to Jacob. I didn't get it.

"Thank you," she said as she stared up into his eyes, smiling back. _Crap. __I have to stop this—NOW!_

"Jake!" Charlie said with surprise, interrupting me from intervention, "Wow. I've never seen a coma patient look so—lively."

Charlie was the only one surprised. Everyone else couldn't believe that one us could actually fall into a coma, but now—we knew. Jacob gave a laugh, then.

"You look pretty good yourself, Charlie," Jacob said with a grin, "A little older, but good."

"Hey!" Charlie said defensively as he pointed a finger at Jacob, "Don't bash the age! I still have all of my hair, and my daughter's only making me a U of A dad, not a grandpa."

_U of A? _I quickly looked over my shoulder at Sam and his eyes were already narrowed at Bella. Those leeches were using the ol' "going-off-to-college-and-might-never-come-back" cover. Bella wouldn't be coming back, at least, not as a human. _Great. More happy news. _Emily will be celebrating her wedding; Bella will be celebrating her funeral._ Super._

"U of A?" Jacob asked, confusion etched on his face.

"The University of Alaska," Bella corrected, and then nervously cleared her throat.

Jacob shot me a questioning look from over his shoulder and I shook my head at him, hoping he wouldn't ask more questions.

"Oh," Jacob said with faux-understanding, and then held up the food dish he was holding, "I'm gonna set this down in the kitchen."

The moment Jacob walked away, Bella slid past Charlie and then went scampering after him. I turned in the place that I stood, watching with a scowl on my face as Bella disappeared into the kitchen.

"Guess they have some catching-up to do," Charlie said, sounding pleased, but I wasn't!

I took a step forward and Sam discretely took a side step. His movement was just enough to let me know that he didn't approve.

"Leave it alone, Leah," his deep voice whispered so that only I could hear.

I smiled up at him and then whispered, "No."

Sam made no movement to stop me as I walked into the kitchen. Once there, I found that they were already in conversation. I hung back near the doorway, hovering in the background like a fly on the wall as I watched how the vampire-lover tried to plant her toxic Bella-seed into Jacob...again. I swear, the girl was like a weed: she spread and even when you got rid of her—she came back.

"Charlie doesn't know that you're engaged to a—"

Jacob paused when he noticed that I was in the kitchen, but Bella, with her back to me, didn't seem to.

"No," she replied and Jacob's eyebrows lowered at her, "It's safer for him that he doesn't know."

Jacob snorted, "And, it'd be safer for _you,_ if you were engaged to a normal guy. You know, the kind that doesn't drink blood."

Bella shook her head at him.

"How can you say that?" she asked, "After all the Cullen's did for you, how can you say that they're not safe?"

Jacob rolled his eyes, while mine—were wide with attentiveness! I was thoroughly enjoying the show. Watching the two of them argue was almost like movie night. All that I was missing was the popcorn.

"Technically," Jacob began as he raised a finger to make a point, "I was unconscious during my stay with the Cullen's, so, I can't really judge them on the "safeness factor", but I do know that it was their kind, vampires, that put me in a coma."

Bella sighed in frustration and then threw her arms into the air.

"UNBELIEVABLE!" she shouted, "Even with amnesia you're just as narrow-minded as ever!"

I let a laugh escape from my lips and Bella glanced over her shoulder at me. Her face was all flustered, but her eyes were surprised to see me standing there.

"Narrow-minded?" Jacob repeated and Bella looked back at him, "There's a big difference between being logical and being narrow-minded. How well did you think you knew me?"

Bella sniffed as she rubbed her sleeve across her face and Jacob frowned as he realized she was crying.

"Bella, I'm sorry," Jacob said as he leaned down to hug her.

My eyes widened at how fast their interactions had gone from an appropriate argument to an inappropriate hug. Hugging had a way of evoking memories. I knew this from experience. Hugging was bad!

"Ahem," I cleared my throat, trying to make it seem as natural as possible considering that I was only trying to interrupt them.

Jacob looked up at me from over Bella's shoulder and I discretely waved at him to "come here". I beckoned him to come, even though I had yet to think-up something to say to him once he did. Bella then turned away from the comforting chest of her over-sized, sad sappy sucker, who continued to fall for her "damsel in distress" act every time. She looked at me with her red, teary eyes that seemed to be filled with more understanding than I would have liked. I looked to Jacob.

"I need too—" I began to say but was then cut-off by one, Bella Swan.

"Jake," Bella said as she looked into my angry eyes, "I need a moment alone with Leah."

Jacob looked between the two of us for a moment and then gave a shrug.

"Sure, sure," he said as he walked passed me and then out of the kitchen.

I watched through the kitchen doorway as he went out the front door and then disappeared into the darkness. I noticed that the living room had cleared out, too. No one was left in the house except for me and the leech-lover.

"Leah," she said my name and I shot her a look.

Bella swallowed and awkwardly hugged her arms around herself before speaking again.

"I know what your trying to do," she whispered, knowing that there were people with super-hearing nearby, "Edward told me."

I raised a challenging eyebrow at her as I waited for her to get to the point.

"I get it," she said with a nod, "I just—I just miss him."

I rolled my eyes as she started sniffling again and I opened my mouth to tell her how much I didn't care, but—

"You're right," she said and my eyebrows shot-up, "It's better that he doesn't remember me, especially since," she paused to whisper again, "I'll be changing soon."

I smirked at the way she chose to describe it and then I crossed my arms over my chest.

"About that," I began as I gave her a serious look, "You do realize that that will be a violation of the treaty, don't you?"

She bit down on her lip as she nodded.

"I know," she said, looking worried, "But, the Cullen's plan to leave Forks and move to Alaska in hopes that 'out of sight' is 'out of mind'."

_The leeches are leaving? _That was the best news I'd heard all day! I gave a careless shrug of my shoulders at their "hopes".

"When?" I asked.

"In November. After Thanksgiving," she whispered and then her head drooped towards the ground, "It'll be my last holiday with Charlie."

I shook my head at her, disgusted. If she was going to turn herself into a cold, lifeless thing that liked drinking "Charlies'" for breakfast—I couldn't understand why she'd care about missing a holiday with him.

"Whatever," I said and then walked away, out of the living room, and then into the night where there was no Bella Swan.

"_Poor Charlie,"_ I thought as I stared at the bonfire that was still blazing, _"He doesn't know how much of a monster his daughter already is."_


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: So, I'm sure you are all wondering when things are going to "spice up" between Jacob and Leah... Well, unfortunately, it won't be in this chapter, but next chapter will definitely be for just the two of them. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm all for taking things slow... :(**

**But, THANK YOU to all of you who have reviewed, favorited, alerted, and are reading this now! Y'all make my day! *hugs*  
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Chapter 6

October 25, 2006

_Oooh._ Quil moaned-out in pain as his big furry ears laid back on his head.

The brown wolf's front paws, then, slid-out from under him as he collapsed to the ground with a _thud_. It was a pathetic sight and I huffed-out an annoyed breath through my snout as I stared at him.

_Guys are such babies when they're sick!_

In response to my words, I received a strong opposition from the three guys sharing my head-space. Apparently, Quil, Embry and Seth thought it was normal for a person to act like they were dying when they only had a stomach-ache.

_Ooh, my stomach._ Quil moaned again from his place on the ground. _I shouldn't have eaten all of those nachos!_

_No you shouldn't of. _I agreed as I trotted towards the wolf that was pathetically sprawled across the forest floor.

_Leah?_ Quil called as he looked up at me through the slits of his wolf-eyelids. _Do you think that eating grass works for wolves, too?_

Before I said "huh?" an image of a sick dog eating some grass replayed in Quil's mind. The moron thought that I would know whether or not grass could cure his stomach-ache! I shook my wolf-head at Quil—it was the equivalent of giving him an eye roll.

_What do I look like?_ I spat. _A Veterinarian!_

Seth and Embry's laughter filled my head. My little brother and that other idiot were somewhere under the trees, patrolling at a distance too far away to see, but their internal laughter was impossible not to hear. Their laughs didn't faze Quil as I watched him slowly stand on all-fours. His legs were shaky underneath him, but he kept his stance as he hung his snout to the ground, sniffing at a patch of grass.

_I'm going to try it._ He announced as he opened his mouth and pulled the grass from the dirt with his teeth.

I watched as wolf-Quil chewed a mouthful of grass and then attempted to swallow it—but he quickly gave a heaving cough as he split-up the green, slimy mess. The chewed-up grass splattered to the ground back where it had once been and I cringed at the sight.

_Grossss!_ I internally shrieked as I quickly trotted away while Embry and Seth went into hysterics. They had witnessed the whole grass-vomit-scene through my eyes, and they thought it was hilarious!

_"Stupid guy-humor,"_ I scoffed to myself as they continued to laugh at the sick wolf.

_Quil, just go home._ Embry suggested with another laugh. _Get Jake to spill you._

_Yeah. _Seth agreed, also laughing. _Jake can take your shift._

Quil moaned in agreement and his consciousness quickly disappeared from ours. I sighed in relief as I trotted through the trees, patrolling onwards even though their was nothing to patrol. There hadn't been any vampires around in a while. I gave a bored wolf yawn, then. We hadn't had a good chase in months!

_Wanna race?_ Embry suddenly asked Seth. _Five bucks says that I can beat you to the Treaty line!_

_You're on! _Seth cheered.

I could hear four sets of paws approaching me, pounding heavily at the moist ground from some unseen distant. Embry's thoughts let me know that he was winning the race and I looked behind me, waiting to see the two giant wolves appear, but I saw something else... Something black flashed in the corner of my eye and I spun around to see it. Nothing was there.

_WHA— _Seth yelled out as the same something black flew past him.

Seth went to a skidding stop, digging up dirt and greenery with his paws as he abruptly stopped from his great speed.

_What tha— _Embry stopped running once the mysterious black figure flashed past his line of sight.

The figure in black was stalking us and we had all been too stupid to use our senses! I sniffed the air then.

_Vampire!_

We all went tense. Our bodies were on high-alert as we scanned the trees for the black-cloaked leech. Its sickly sweet smell seemed to be everywhere now. I trotted forward, past a pair of trees, and into a clearing up ahead where there was a group of moss-covered rocks. The leech in the black cloak appeared on top of one of the rocks before me, wearing a sinister smile. I noted instantly that we were dealing with a female vampire. Her hair was long, nearly as dark as her black cloak, and she smirked at me as if she was taunting me with "nanny-nanny boo-boo". I growled, showing my fangs, and then lunged forward.

_I GOT HER!_ We all yelled simultaneously from different locations just before the vampire disappeared again.

_Huh? _Seth whined, confused. _She was right here! I saw her!_

An angry growl slipped past my teeth as Embry claimed to have seen the leech, too. We had all seen the same female vampire who was wearing the black cloak and a "catch me if you can" smile on her face. We had all seen her in different places, too. But, HOW? A ripping sound reverberated in our heads as another mind joined our single consciousness.

_Hey— _Jacob's thoughts went from friendly to hostile in a millisecond as his mind connected with ours.

_Vampire. _He growled as he took-off running towards me.

The vampire was nowhere to be seen, but its stench was everywhere. Jacob skid to a stop beside me then. His hackles were up, causing the hair there to stand taller than usual because he still hadn't gotten a haircut. The russet colored fur along his spine stood-on-end like a Mohawk as he took a protective step in front of me. He looked ready as he stood with his head straight and his ears perked with alertness. He looked confident as if he actually remembered hunting vampires. Jacob's head turned around to see me then and his wolf eyes seemed to smile as he tilted his head to the side.

_Guess I'm just a natural._ He replied to my thought and I shook my head, giving him my wolf-equivalent of an eye roll.

_THERE!_ Embry suddenly yelled as the tricky leech appeared in front of him.

We watched through Embry's eyes as he lunged for the vampire with his jaws open and his fangs ready for the kill. He propelled himself through the air as he aimed for the vampires head—but instead—he went straight through her. A sinister laugh echoed all around us as we scanned the trees for the disappearing leech, but saw nothing. A snarl slipped past my fangs, then.

_Get. Sam. _I ordered Seth and he immediately took off running towards home.

_Did you see that?_ Embry asked. _I went right through that thing! It was like a ghost, or something!_

Jacob and I shared a quick look before searching the trees again. _A ghost?_ It's a funny thing about ghosts. For one, you never meet anyone who claims to have seen any—unless they're telling a big one, or they're crazy. And, you definitely never hear of someone mistaking a ghost for a vampire. It's true that I'd never seen a ghost, but I was positive that ghosts didn't smell like fermented peaches!

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"'Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho. To the Cullen's crypt we go'." I whistled the tune from _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_ as I followed behind Seth and his tag-along, Jacob.

The tall, shirtless duo turned around to look at me as we walked through the woods towards leech manor. Seth gave me a look as if he wanted me to stop singing before his vampire-pals heard me. _God-forbid that I offended one of them. _Jacob pulled a strand of his chin-length hair behind his ear as he looked back at me. A corner of his mouth curved up in amusement from my rendition of the classic song and I quickly stopped singing, then. I was against Jacob coming along. The less he saw the Cullen's—the better! Heck, the less I saw of them the better off I was, too! I ground my teeth together at the fact that we had been sent to the vampires place on an informative mission. _Damn Sam._

"Just once," I began as glared at the ground I was walking on, "Just once I would like to see Sam Uley, man-up, and talk to these leeches himself. But no," I paused as I followed Jacob and Seth to a stop, "It's always someone—"

I stopped talking as I looked up from the ground to see that I had more of an audience than just Seth and Jacob. The Cullens' had all gathered outside of their house as if they were waiting for us. The doctor and his wife stood the closest to us while the other five vampires and one skinny, mopey-looking girl stood behind them. It was as if they were in military formation. I'm sure it was just a precaution, but hey, if they were expecting a fight—I had dibs on the white girl! I glared at Bella Swan as she stood under the protective arm of her mind-reading vampire. Here she was, at the Cullens' place, _again_, when she acted like it broke her heart that she'd never spend another Christmas with Charlie. One day, when her dad was no longer around—she would regret insignificant moments like this when she could have been spending time with him, instead. I knew this from experience...

"Sam sent us," Seth informed the Cullen's as he took a step towards the doctor, "We ran into a vampire who was wearing a black cloak and who kept...disappearing. Do you know anything about it?"

"A black cloak?" the sing-songy voice of the psychic vampire asked.

All of the other leeches looked around at each other and I nearly missed the too-low whisper of the word: _Volturi._

"Was this vampire alone?" the psychic with the spiky black hair, which reminded me of curled-up spiders' legs, asked.

"Uh, yes and no," Seth answered before he looked back at me with uncertainty on his face.

It was obvious that he couldn't think of a way to describe how this vampire didn't seem like one, but instead, like an entire army in herself! The mind-readers brow wrinkled as he looked at Seth.

"It seems like this vampire has an ability we've never encountered before," the mind reader informed his leech-family and they all turned to face him, "She was able to appear in more than one place at a time, and the multiples of herself were only apparitions."

Seth, Jacob and I, uselessly, stood in front of the leeches as we listened to them marvel over this piece of information. I reached up a hand and brushed my fingers through my hair, trying to do something useful while these vampires were telling us a whole lot of nothing.

"It doesn't make sense," the little psychic leech cried, "I should have seen her coming!"

I watched as she crossed her little arms around herself and pouted like an angry Tinkerbell. The blond leech with the predatory gaze put a comforting hand on her back as he looked over at the mind-reader.

"If what you say about this vampire is true; Maybe Alice couldn't see her coming here because this vampire made the decision to be everywhere," the predatory-looking vampire gazed down at the psychic, then, "The Volturi finally found someone that you won't see coming."

There was silence for moment. It was a quietness that was so still I almost thought I heard the Earth move as it spun on it's axis.

"Sounds like the Volturi are asking for a fight," the vampire with the big arms said as his fist slammed into the palm of his hand with a _smash_!

Jacob looked back at me with his eyebrows lowered in confusion and he mouthed the word "Volturi". I shrugged my shoulders, not caring to explain.

"The Volturi are a powerful coven who, more or less, try to keep our kind in-order," the mind-reader answered Jacob.

My heart momentarily stopped as Jacob's head whipped around to acknowledged that Edward Cullen, his forgotten rival, had spoken to him. I kept waiting for something to jog his memory, but still, it didn't happen. Jacob only arched an eyebrow at the leech.

"Yes," the doctor suddenly spoke, "The Volturi seem to have recruited a new member to their guard. A vampire who has just the right sort of ability to slip past Alice's sight. The Volturi have surly sent her here to spy on the situation with Bella."

I stared up at Jacob's face as his eyes shifted towards the troublemaker-human. I didn't need to be a mind-reader to know that he was wondering what Bella had to do with anything. I quickly tried to think up a way to avoid him from finding out just how much _she _had to do with _everything_, but—

"Jacob," the doctor began as he noted the confusion on his face, "The Volturi try to keep our existence a secret from humans. Therefore, they don't approve of our relationship with Bella."

Jacob nodded as if this seemed very logical to him.

"Makes sense. But, what do they want?" he asked, never missing a beat.

I glared up at Jacob, annoyed that he had to ask. I already knew what they wanted and I was happy to keep Jacob out-of-the-know. Those vultures wanted Bella to become a bloodsucker. That's what they wanted, but I was afraid for Jacob to hear it. _Would it snap him out of his amnesia—just like it snapped him out of his coma?_

"They gave us an ultimatum, Jake," Bella suddenly spoke.

Jacob's eyes narrowed, but mine nearly bulged out of my skull. _Crap, she's going to tell him!_

"And, what was it?" he asked as my palms started to sweat and my legs itched to run.

I was tempted to press the palms of my hands to Jacob ears and run away with him into the woods, whistling that tune from _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs _as loudly as I could. I didn't want him to hear this. I didn't want it to jog his memory and turn him back into mopey, heart-broken Jacob. One mopey, heart-broken person in the pack was enough!

"Their ultimatum was death or vampirism," Bella said and then took a deep breath as if it had been hard to say.

Jacob stared at her for a moment and then looked around at all of the vampires. He snorted out a laugh then.

"So it's death either way!" he said with a grin and then looked to Seth and me. _Jacob didn't get it._

"We can fight this. Right?" he asked us, "Sam would agree to that, right?"

I gulped as I looked over at my little brother. Neither one of us wanted to answer him.

"I want this, Jake," Bella confessed, her voice sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard when your the kid who's trying to sleep on your desk.

Jacob's jaw clenched in anger as he looked at the mind-reader and then glared at Bella.

"This," he hissed through his teeth as he pointed a finger at the leeches, "This is a death sentence, Bella! What about Charlie?" Jacob growled, "Have you thought about him?"

Bella looked up at the vampire whom she valued above anything and anyone else, and then with a sigh, she looked back at Jacob.

"Charlie was fine before I moved back to Forks," she said and then spared a meaningful look at Seth and I, "I have to trust that he'll be fine without me."

Jacob began to shake then. The doctor and his wife who were standing nearest—took a step back. Seth tried to calm Jacob down with words, but it wasn't working. I shrugged my shoulders. _Let him get mad! The damage was already done._ Jacob's body vibrated with anger until it literally shook him apart! There was a series of ripping sounds just before the russet-colored wolf exploded from his body. The shredded remains of his cut-offs fell in pieces to the ground. I sighed in frustration. _Why, oh why, did Bella Swan always have to upset him?_ The Jacob-wolf scratched at the ground with his paw then, digging up the dirt as if he was an angry bull that was ready to charge. He gave a vicious, fang-flashing growl to Bella, and as dense as she was—she took a step towards him with her hand reached-out to touch him. The mind-reader quickly pulled her back and then he gave _me_ a warning look that spoke volumes without him having to say a word. I rolled my eyes.

"Come on, _Cujo_," I said as I grabbed handfuls of Jacob's fur and started pulling him towards the trees, "There will be no people-killing for you, today."

Wolf-Jacob grunted as I pulled him away from the crazy white girl, but he didn't dare growl at me.

"Sorry Bella. Sorry guys," Seth apologized to them from behind me, and I shook my head at him.

"COME ON SETH!" I yelled unnecessarily loud.

Seth's reluctant foot steps followed behind me as Jacob trotted into the woods, trying to shake-off some of his anger. I was happily surprised that none of what he had learned was ringing any bells, and I hoped that it wouldn't...ever.

"'S what now?" Seth asked as we walked a little ways into the woods.

I stopped to think-up an answer to his question as I looked ahead through the trees. Jacob was no longer in sight.

"We phase, first," I replied, "Then we run home and give Sam the head-ups about the order-keeping, vampire-mobsters."

Seth cracked a smile and then nodded at me before we walked off in opposite directions. Seth—going to the boys side of the forest; and me—going to the girls. When I had finished discarding my clothes and wrapping them around my ankle—I phased. Seth was already in wolf form, of course, and Jacob was still angry.

_Can't believe she's going to become one of those THINGS!_ Jacob growled.

I could see him pacing in my mind, wearing-out a path in the ground.

_I can't believe you don't believe it._ I replied with a huff as I pictured the sickening looks that Bella always gave her vampire that were just oozing with obsession. _What don't you believe?_

Jacob internally cringed at the image as I lifted my snout into the air and then followed my nose to the place where he and Seth were at.

_I don't get it! _Jacob rambled on. _I mean—_w_hat kind of person lets their dad grow old and die alone without ever letting him know what really happened to his kid? _

_A person with really terrible parents? _Seth unassumingly guessed just as I came upon the place where they had stopped.

Wolf-Jacob looked at me from over his shoulder and then huffed out a sigh as his fur-covered shoulders relaxed.

_Charlie's a good guy._ He said as he paced forward a few steps. _He deserves better than that._

Jacob stopped his pacing at the trunk of a tree and then growled as he shoved his shoulder in to it. He threw all of his weight into the trunk, russet-colored fur smashing into gray-ish bark, and the tree shuddered. With each hit he gave the tree, leaves and branches of all sizes came falling to the ground. Seth had to dodge some of the debris, but luckily, I was watching from a safe distance. Jacob stopped then and his thoughts took on a pseudo-comical edge as he gave a humorless laugh.

_Can't believe I used to hang out with her._ Jacob said and his words jolted me. _Quil and Embry told me that she hung around a lot, but—what the hell do we have in common? _

Seth's mind quickly started thinking about a homework assignment he had to do. My mind was occupied elsewhere. All I saw was red! My lip curled-up over my fangs as I thought about Quil and Embry, and suddenly—my legs were moving under me and I was barreling towards home with murderous thoughts in my head. Jacob snorted at my thoughts while his were suspiciously about me and Bella Swan.

_They told me about you and her. _Jacob began. _About your beef with Bella..._

My thoughts were nothing short of slasher movie violence, then. I was going to kill Quil and Embry, or, at the very least, break something that wouldn't heal too fast! My sudden thirst for blood fueled my speed as I ran for home. I wasn't just going to break one of Quil's and Embry's appendages—I was going to break it off and throw it to the mountain lions!

_Jeez, Leah, calm down!_ Jacob suddenly tried to calm me._ I'm kidding. I don't know what your deal is with Bella. No one will even talk about her around me._

I slowed down as I registered the truth in his thoughts. Relief washed over me then, and I quickly phased back before my mind had the chance to give myself away. The other morons had been keeping hush-hush about Jacob's "ex-friend", much to my surprise, but I knew Jacob couldn't be kept in the dark forever. Paul had been right. Bella Swan _had _sealed herself a place in our history. She was a part of Jacob's past, and even though the past is often something wished to be forgotten—it wasn't something that he could hide from. Eventually, he would have to be told about what he had forgotten, but when that time came...he'd be getting the G-rated, "edited" version!


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: And so, here is a Jacob/Leah centered chapter, but please don't have high expectations for it. High expectations are the easiest way to get disappointed. And by that, I mean don't expect Jacob and Leah to hook-up at the end of the chapter or anything like that... *dodges thrown tomatoes***

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Chapter 7

Saturday, October 28, 2006

I stared at the side of Jacob's face as he worked under the hood of my moms' car. He rambled-on endlessly about cars and their parts and other things I didn't care about while he did something with the "spark plugs". He talked-on as he leaned over the engine, and I stared at his face even despite the occasional stupid strand of hair that would fall in the way. _Did he really not remember anything?_ I still couldn't believe that after his heated encounter with "Gloomeo and Juliet", a few days ago, that he hadn't even experienced a case of Deja vu! _How messed-up WAS his brain?_

"You know what they say about pictures, don't you?" Jacob suddenly asked.

I raised a curious eyebrow from my seat on top of the turned-over trashcan.

"They last longer," he teased as he watched me for a reaction.

I only scowled. _Great. That's all I need is for him to think that I'm checking him out!_

"I was only staring at you because your hair keeps falling in your face every 5 seconds!" I defended myself.

And with that, I slid off the trashcan and marched back into my house in search of a solution. If he wasn't going to get a haircut—the least he could do was keep his hair out of his face! A moment later, I walked back outside with determined steps and a small hair-tie clenched in my fist.

"Did you bring a camera?" Jacob chuckled to himself as he heard me exiting the house.

I stopped in my tracks to glare at him and he looked over his shoulder with a smug smile on his face.

"I'm just kidding, Leah," he assured me before looking back at the engine.

I said nothing as I noticed the way that one of Jacob's arms was braced on the side of the car as his other arm reached into the engine. He wore a t-shirt that had the sleeves cut-off, showcasing the muscles in his arms, and every movement they made as he did whatever he was doing to my moms' engine. I marveled at how—even though he only had his memories of being 13—Jacob had known, even then, how to fix cars.

"When did you first get interested in cars?" I asked as I walked forward until I was standing behind him.

Jacob stopped moving and then rose-up from under the hood to stand to his full height.

"When my mom was killed in one," he replied directly to my question and it took me by surprise.

I clenched the hair-tie tight in my fist as he glanced over his shoulder to see the "sorry" expression that was on my face, and then he leaned back under the hood. Jacob had lost his mom, and I had lost my dad. It was something we had in common, and it was something about him that I had almost forgotten. I tried hard to remember, from my own memories, what his mother had looked like, but I couldn't. His mom had been dead a lot longer than my dad had been.

"You know," Jacob suddenly spoke as he worked to unscrew something, "I thought that if I could learn to fix cars...it'd be like fixing what happened to her."

Jacob stopped what he was doing and turned around to look me in the eye.

"Do you think that's stupid?" he asked me just as a strand of hair fell into his face.

Jacob pulled the strand behind his ear for the umpteenth time, and I rolled my eyes.

"No," I said as I quickly grabbed his shoulders and then forced him to turn his back to me, "I think your hair is stupid!"

Jacob snorted out a laugh, but then grew silent as I ran my hands over his hair in an attempt to pull it into a ponytail. I found myself running my fingers through the black strands as I felt sadness for the two of us that we had both lost a parent. _Did he miss his mom as much as I missed my dad? _Suddenly, my ears were alerted to the acceleration in Jacob's heart rate as I lingered for too long, and I quickly wrapped the tie around his hair before taking a step back. I noticed, immediately, the way that Jacob was looking at me and it made me question my decision to touch him. He examined me from over his shoulder as his eyes danced over my face, and his lips held a smile. Something about it made my own heart pound.

"Sam used to have long hair," Jacob reminded me with an insinuating wiggle of his eyebrows.

I shot him a dark look, and then instinctively shoved him into the car engine. He laughed in response and quickly righted himself.

"Stop bringing up Sam!" I shouted as I stomped back over to the turned-over trashcan.

"Sorry," Jacob apologized sheepishly with a shrug of his shoulders, "I'm just still trying to get used to all of these new relationships. Quil's a perpetual babysitter, Rebecca's married, and Rachel's dating...Paul."

We both gave a regretful sigh about that last one.

"Yeah," I agreed, "It's unfortunate."

I sat down on the top of the turned-over trashcan again as I watched him work.

"It makes you wonder, you know?" he began as he continued his work under the hood, "If imprinting determines who our perfect mate is—and _Paul_ is Rachel's," Jacob shook his head, "Rachel must have some type of...deficiency. I mean, she must be putting off some kind of loser-magnetism to attract a guy like Paul!"

_Loser magnetism?_ A loud laugh escaped my lips and I wrapped my arms around my middle as I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the trashcan. Jacob examined me with an offended look on his face from me having laughed at his sister.

"You think that's funny, huh?" he said as he quickly advanced towards me, making me feel smaller as he approached

"Hey!" I said defensively with another laugh, "You said it, not me!"

Suddenly, a mischievous smile crossed Jacob's face and he kicked the trashcan so hard it tipped backwards. I screamed as I felt myself falling off of it, but with a laugh, Jacob caught my arms and the trashcan sat flat on the ground again. He was lucky too! If my butt would have hit the ground Jacob would've been back in a coma! I balled-up my fists as I glared at the smirk on his face, but before I could say a word, or swing an arm...

"Just wait until Seth imprints on Nola Stillwell," Jacob said with a sly smile, "and then we'll see whose laughing!"

_Nola Stillwell? _My eyebrows lowered at the name of the girl who had the most annoying voice anyone, ANYWHERE, had ever heard. I remembered how she would always follow Seth around like she was his shadow, but luckily...

"That girl moved off to Texas, or some place," I said with a frown as I examined Jacob, "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

Jacob's eyebrows lowered for a moment as he contemplated that, and then he flashed me another one of those grins of his. It was the kind of grin that made his eyes sparkle and it caused my stomach to flip.

"I remember _you_," Jacob said in a husky tone before backing away, and walking back over to the car.

I stared at his back, unblinkingly, as I remembered a time not so long ago when he had scowled at me like the rest of my pack brothers. I shook my head. Those newborn leeches really had done a number on him for him to wake up from a coma and remember me! I watched him lean back over the engine as I wondered what had been so special about 2003 that it was the last year he could remember...

"How's it going out here?" The sound of my mom's voice caused me to jump, and I stared at her wide-eyed as she carried two glasses of lemonade towards me.

"I thought you two might be thirsty," she said as she handed me a glass and then walked over to Jacob.

I watched as she patted his back before handing him the glass and Jacob flashed her a warm smile.

"Thanks, Sue!"

"No," she said as she stared at the mechanical mystery that was her car engine, "Thank you! You're saving me from having to pay an arm and a leg at Dowling's," my mom shook her head at the thought, "Jacob, one day, when you own your own auto repair shop, please be a little more realistic with labor-fees."

Jacob grinned, "It's a promise."

"Good," she replied as she patted him on the back once more before walking inside of the house.

Jacob casually leaned his back against the car as he sipped his glass of lemonade. I took in a deep breath and then stared down into mine. The trashcan I was sitting on was starting to get uncomfortable, and as I glanced back up at Jacob I figured it was time for him to take a break.

"Come on," I said as I slid off of the top of the trashcan, glass in hand as I beckoned him to follow me.

I heard Jacob's foot steps follow after me as I led him into the backyard where we had an old porch swing hanging from the strong branch of a tree.

"Hey, I remember that swing," Jacob said as he sat down on it before me, "But it used to be hanging over there."

Jacob pointed to the eave of the back porch as I sat down beside him. The tree branch dipped under our combined weight, but it held strong as I stared at the place where the swing had once been. Sam and I used to sit on the swing together, talking—sometimes for hours. The swing was a sad reminder, but mom wouldn't let me burn it or even store it in the garage. I had to settle, instead, on moving it.

"It's better here," I replied as I glanced up at the tree above me.

The trees' leaves had already started to turn and some of them had fallen to the ground. Jacob's knee brushed against mine as the swing swayed the tiniest bit, and I looked down only to notice that he was staring at me. Jacob suddenly rested his arm on the back of the swing behind me as a grin spread across his face.

"So, Leah," Jacob's voice was full of amusement, "Are you seeing anyone?"

My eyes narrowed and I leaned forward so as not to be touched by his arm.

"Yeah," I hissed, "I'm seeing someone who'll be losing an arm in 2 seconds if they don't move it!"

Jacob chuckled and then slowly removed his arm from the back of the swing. I stared at him, half annoyed and half bewildered.

"Maybe you should get back to work," I suggested as I placed my hand on the seat of the swing in preparation to slide off.

A too-warm hand touched mine, then, and I froze with a jolt. My eyes fell to the big hand that was covering mine and then my eyes followed the arm up to Jacob's face. His face looked sympathetic, or apologetic, I couldn't tell which.

"This was yours and Sam's swing, right?"

My eyes narrowed as I stared into Jacob's dark brown ones which were too sweet and foiled my attempt to get mad. Instead, I gave a defeated sigh. _How was it that Jacob couldn't remember a thing about his relationship with Bella Swan, but he could remember EVERYTHING about mine with Sam?_

"I told you to stop bringing him up," I warned as I stared into his eyes.

"I know," he said as his fingers slipped between my hand and the seat of the swing I was touching, "But I thought, if I keep bringing him up, maybe, you'll get over it, and it won't bother you anymore."

My heart stuttered in my chest from the combination of his words and the fact that his hand was sort of holding mine. Jacob wanted me to get over Sam, just like I hoped he'd never remember Bella. My gaze traveled from his hand, up to his arm, and then settled on his face. For once, Jacob Black wasn't smiling. His face was filled with all types of serious emotion as his eyes searched mine. He was in full-on knight-in-shining-armor mode...I could tell. Suddenly, my lips pulled up at the corners as I stared at Jacob's too-serious face, and then a laugh escaped me.

"Aww, Sir Jacob Black wants to cure my woes!" I rolled my eyes as I slid my hand out from under his and then gave his shoulder a shove.

The swing swayed awkwardly from shoving him, but Jacob only looked amused.

""Sir Jacob Black"?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

I laughed again from hearing him say it, and then nodded.

"Yeah, it's because you have this huge knight-in-shining-armor complex."

Jacob scoffed in disbelief as he crossed his arms over his chest, "How do you figure that?"

"I—" I opened my mouth to tell him of all the ways he had tried to be heroic, but luckily I stopped myself before I did. It had something to do with a stupid damsel-in-distress, no doubt.

"Well?" Jacob asked as he looked at me expectantly.

Before I could rack my brain for something to say, we both turned our attention to the sound of leaves crunching under feet. Seth appeared out of the trees that were off to the side of the house, and when he caught sight of Jacob and I on the swing…he sort of winced. My eyebrows lowered curiously as I noticed this.

"Hey, Seth!" Jacob greeted as he slid off the swing, leaving it to bounce from the sudden change in weight.

The lemonade I had placed between my knees splashed on to my legs from the bounce. I glared accusingly at Jacob as he chugged down his own lemonade, unaware.

"Still no sight of the vampire," Seth announced as he came to stop in front of the swing.

I wiped-off the sugary liquid from my legs as Seth began telling us Sam's new patrolling shifts. This new vampire had everyone stirred up. Most of the pack, the idiotic ones, were excited about it, but some of us, like myself, were worried that something bigger was on the horizon.

"And Jake," Seth added as he looked Jacob over, suspiciously, "Sam wants you to take patrol. Now."

_Patrol?_ It was my turn to look suspicious.

"WHAT?" I spat as I slid off the swing, lemonade-glass in hand, "He's working on moms' car, today! Sam knows that!"

Jacob snorted and reached out an arm to pat my shoulder. His touch caused me to relax a little, and it made Seth scowl.

"It's okay, Leah," Jacob said with a grin, "I'll come back after patrol to finish Sues' car."

With that, Jacob sat his empty glass down on the swing, but before he turned to leave he was stopped be Seth's too-quiet demeanor.

"Hey," Jacob said as he playfully slugged him in the shoulder, "What's wrong with _you_?"

Seth just shook his head as both Jacob and I examined him, curiously. When Seth didn't reply, Jacob shrugged his shoulders, and then jogged off towards the trees. I watched him go until the greenery swallowed him up, and then, I noticed that Seth was frowning at me.

"What IS wrong with you?" I asked as worry lowered my eyebrows.

Seth quickly snatched my lemonade glass from my hand and then chugged it down as if he was chugging a beer. He wiped his mouth with the back of his arm when he emptied the glass and then he glanced over his shoulder at the place Jacob had last been.

"You gotta tell Jake the truth, NOW!" Seth demanded and the authority in his voice nearly made me jump.

I smiled, amused, at my little brother, and I wondered what could have possibly set such a fire inside of him…

"Why?"

Seth looked around, uncomfortably, at my question, and his bare shoulders slumped forward with a sigh.

"Because," he paused to swallow back what might have been bile, "Quil caught Jake thinking about you," Seth paused again to wince at his own words, "Thinking about you in the same way he used to think about Bella. You gotta tell him about her, Leah! You gotta! We all think it's better than if—"

"We?"

The word came out of my mouth just as I realized that "we" meant "the pack", but did "we" include every member of the pack? Had Quil also shared Jacob's thoughts with Sam?

"AH HA!" I declared and then smacked my fist down on the palm of my hand, like a judge pounding their gavel onto a block of wood, "That's why Sam wanted him to patrol!"

I found myself sitting back down on the swing at the thought of Sam possibly being jealous and wanting to keep Jacob away from me. I was oblivious to the fact that Jacob's glass had fallen off of the swing as I caused it to sway, but Seth quickly mentioned it.

"Man, Leah! Look what you did!" I looked to the place where the glass had fallen to see broken pieces of it on the ground, "You broke one of moms' glasses!"

As I stared down at the shards I thought about Sam and how I often had to hear him think about Emily. I wondered if hearing someone think about me, like that, bothered him as much as his thoughts always bothered me.

"Did Sam—"

"LEAH!" Seth interrupted me and I turned to stare at him, "Did you hear anything I said? You're like...Jacob's Bella, now! You gotta fix this!"

_"Jacob's Bella"?_ My eyebrows lowered as a flashback of every moment I had shared with Jacob since his awakening played in my mind. The way he smiled at me, talked to me, and—I thought of the way he had just held my hand—it was very different from the pre-coma Jacob. _Crap! _I found myself chewing mindlessly on a fingernail as I put two-and-two together.

"He has some type of crush on me, doesn't he?"

Seth grimaced, but nodded. I nodded back at him, knowingly.

"So what are you going to do?" Seth asked.

I pulled my chewed fingernail away from my mouth as I shared a serious look with my little brother. I really didn't know what to do. It seemed that in all of my scheming I had managed to turn the tables on myself, and now, _I_ was "Jacob's Bella"... It was a strange turn of events, but oddly enough, I wasn't grossed-out about it.

"I don't know. I'll figure something out," I said as I stared off in contemplation

Seth groaned at my lack-of-a-plan, and then trudged towards the house as I tried to form some kind of a plan. I sat on the swing, swaying back and forth as I thought about Jacob. A frown formed on my face as I realized that I was probably to blame for any "extra" feelings that Jacob might have developed for me. With a frustrated sigh, I went back to chewing on a fingernail as I tried to figure out what I should do about him. Should I tell him that Bella was the girl that should be filling his thoughts, and not me? Or, should I keep feeding him lies and half-truths? I was torn between the two choices, and even though the thought of lying to Jacob was getting harder to process...the thought of someone having a "crush" on me, of wanting me, was an idea I was suddenly warming-up too...


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hope y'all don't mind a slightly longer chapter! This one is the longest of this story, so far. Yep. :)**

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Chapter 8

October 31, 2006

I had one knee to my chest and my other leg was stretched out in front of me as I painted my toes a color that was about as un-Halloween-ish as you could get. My TV, which sat directly across from my bed, was tuned to a local channel that was having a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" marathon. I glanced up at the TV between nail polish coats, watching as the blond heroine drove a wooden stake into the vampires' chest. I laughed out loud as the vampire, then, turned into a dust cloud.

"These leeches are more pathetic than the real ones!" I scoffed at the TV before looking away to paint another toe.

It was my Halloween ritual to watch TV. Seth, on the other hand, always wanted to go trick-or-treating. I sighed as I gave my toe one more coat and then wondered what Seth would be dressed as. I had seen the costume makeup lying on the counter in the kitchen, but as usual neither he nor mom would give me a hint. A sudden knock pounded at my door then, making me jump and causing me to brush the nail polish onto my comforter. I cursed under my breath as I tried to rub it off, but to no avail. There was another knock then.

"UGH! JUST COME IN ALREADY!"

The door knob was turned, and very slowly the door swung open so that Seth could make his grand entrance. He staggered into my room, moaning as he dragged a bloody leg behind him and held his arms in the air at his sides. A laugh escaped my lips as I noticed that his torn-looking clothes were probably moms attempt at sewing his phase-shredded clothes back together. Seth gave a low, guttural groan as he staggered to a stop at my bed.

"'S what do you think?" he asked before flashing me his big smile.

I noticed the dark circles around his eyes and the bluish tint to his brown skin. Mom had obviously done the makeup. The make-up and the tattered clothes just _screamed_ "mom".

"I think you look like a shipwrecked Indian," I teased him as I screwed the lid back on to the bottle of nail polish.

Seth just stood their frowning at me as Buffy did some more butt-kicking on the TV. I glanced at the screen to watch her dust another vamp before I responded to my little brothers' poutiness.

"Don't worry," I said with a roll of my eyes, "You make a very convincing zombie. I'm just surprised you're not dressed-up as one of those leeches that you love so much."

I imagined Seth covered in white make-up and glitter, wearing a shaggy wig on his head that was the exact shade of Edward Cullen's hair. Seth just grinned and gave his shoulders a shrug.

"Someone else thought of it first," he informed me, "Quil bought a Dracula costume."

I groaned at that and then glared at the TV. _Figures..._

"Well," Seth began as he started backing out of my room, "I'm meeting up with Jake. He was going to stay at home and finish his make-up work for school, but I convinced him to go trick-or-treating."

At hearing the name "Jake" my eyes bulged.

"WHAT?" The word flew from my lips with such alarm that Seth spun on his heel.

"What do you mean 'WHAT'?" Seth shot back, staring at me as if it made perfect sense for him to hang-out with Jacob!

"I thought you were avoiding him," I paused as I tried to remember Seth's exact words on the matter, "I thought you said it was too 'awkward' to be around him!"

Seth gave me a look and then defiantly crossed his arms over his chest. It was a look he had stolen from me!

"And I thought you said that you'd tell him about Bella!"

My jaw dropped as I took-in a deep breath of air and my eyes narrowed at him, threateningly.

"I NEVER said that!" I hissed, "I said that I would figure something out!"

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at the TV as Seth muttered something under his breath that sounded like: "It's taking you long enough!" I sighed in annoyance as another commercial interrupted my episode.

"Leah," Seth spoke my name with such authority that I raised an eyebrow, "I'm leaving, now. I gotta meet Jake. He's probably out waiting in the woods."

My lips pursed and my eyes examined him as he turned to go. Seth was probably planning on going to the Cullen's place and Bella would most likely be there! My heart pounded hard in my chest as I imagined that Seth was planning to leave Jacob, alone, with Bella Swan!

"NO!" I shouted and Seth spun around to gawk at me, "If you're taking him back to the leeches place you can just FORGET it!"

It was Seth's turn to drop his jaw and he stared at me in silence, examining my level of seriousness. My face was straight and my will was unmovable. Seth shook his head, frustrated.

"Leah, you're taking this too far. He doesn't remember ANYTHING, and even if we tell him everything that he forgot it won't change how he feels about Bella. Right now he doesn't even like her very much. Telling him about—you know—how she rejected him might make him hate her! Doesn't that make you _want_ to tell him?"

I smile spread across my face as I stared at the TV. My little brother was trying to persuade me. It was cute, but always unsuccessful.

"Seth?" I sung his name while flashing him a smile, "Remember what happened when you tried to sell me your pitch on the existence of Santa Clause?"

Seth narrowed his eyes, knowing that had lost that argument, too, and he knew better than to argue with me. I smiled at him as if I had beaten him at game. In all honestly, Seth's pitch about Bella made a lot of sense, but I would never admit it to him. I wasn't ready for Jacob to know about Bella. I wasn't ready to look him in the eyes once he knew I had hid things from him. With a frustrated sigh, I picked up my remote and pushed the power button. I then slid off my bed and quickly slipped my dry-painted toes into a pair of shoes.

"Let's go," I said as I walked past Seth and then out of my bedroom, "Jacob's not going anywhere with you. I'll go find him, and you can go bum expensive candy off of your leeches"

With a loud groan, Seth shuffled his feet behind me, not in the zombie-way, but in the "my-sister-ruins-everything-way". I stopped walking when I got to the front door, and then opened it for him.

"After you," I smiled as I gestured with my arm towards the darkness outside.

Seth, reluctantly, slumped out of the doorway. He then trudged forward like a kid who had been told to go clean his room, and I rolled my eyes at the pathetic sight.

"A mummy would've been a good costume too, Seth," I suggested, "You definitely have that whole sluggish, undead thing going on."

Seth shook his head at my words as he led us into the woods.

"I would tell you what you could be for Halloween," he countered, "But then—you'd hit me."

I gave a dry laugh.

"Smart kid."

With a frustrated sigh, Seth continued to walk in front of me through the darkness as he headed closer to the Cullen's and I headed closer to Jacob. Bitterness was just rolling off of him and I knew he was mad that I was, not only, stealing his trick-or-treating buddy, but that I, also, refused to tell Jacob the truth.

"Look," I said as I reached out my hand to pull him around to a stop.

He didn't look at me. He made a point of staring-off at something I couldn't see.

"When it's the right time, I promise I'll tell Jacob everything, but I'm in this too-deep to tell him now. I have to figure out a way to do it...gently."

Seth's eyes fixed on me, but even in the darkness I could see that the scowl didn't budge from his face anymore then his feet budged from the ground.

"You're head-deep in it," Seth affirmed as he crossed his arms over his chest, "You've gone too far."

I nodded at him realizing it was true.

"Yeah, well, dad always told us not to start something we wouldn't finish," I replied and Seth's scowl vanished at my mentioning of dad, "So, I'm going to see this plan through."

Seth searched my eyes as he examined them for seriousness and then he gave a sigh of surrender.

"Okay," he said as he turned to go, but then suddenly stopped as if he had forgotten something, "But, since I'm your brother, it's my job to tell you what your plan really looks like..."

It was my turn to scowl.

"And, what's that?" I spat as I placed my hands on my hips.

"Well," he began as he slowly walked backwards, suspiciously putting distance between us, "It looks like the plan of a crazy, Jacob-obsessed-person."

"AHHH!" Seth yelled, jumping back as I hurled a fist at him, but missed by half an inch.

I chased him, swinging my fists as I went, but he took off running towards Forks, towards the leeches, and I let him go.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" I yelled after him, "YOU BETTER RUN!"

I angrily crossed my arms over my chest as he disappeared into the darkness. I didn't know what made me angrier: Seth's words or the fact that I got angry by them. It was commonly known that the statements that angered a person usually did so because they were true. I clenched my fists tight under my cross-armed stance and then trudged forward.

"_I AM NOT OBSESSED WITH JACOB,"_ I mentally yelled as I walked through the dark woods, "_I—I'm just driven by a higher purpose."_

I stopped walking for a moment and then sniffed at the air so I could be sure of the direction I was going. A slight breeze blew through the trees and with it carried a warm, earthy scent that was distinctly Jacob's. I breathed it in as I followed my nose through the dark woods and a strange excitement filled me that tingled on my skin like goose bumps. I faltered, momentarily, in my foot steps as I realized that I was excited about seeing Jacob! With a frustrated sigh, I glared up at the moon and cursed it for baring witness to my realization. In my defense, I quickly decided that amnesia-Jacob, after all, _was_ less stupid than old-Jacob, and therefore...tolerable. The moon shone down on me through the tops of the trees as if it was casting a spotlight on my attempt to delude myself. It's white-blue glow touched everything, and suddenly, even Jacob! Mid-way between my house and the Black's I spotted him leaning up against a tree with his arms crossed over his bare chest. The light of the moon traced the contours of his face, chest and arms, highlighting his muscles with a white-blue glow while the rest of him was cast in black shadow. He looked like the cover of one of those cheesy porno-novels I used to tease my mom for reading; the ones where some shirtless guy in dramatic lighting is cropped waist-up. I quickly averted my eyes to a nearby tree as I realized I was comparing Jacob to a porno-novel.

"Leah?" he sounded surprised, and his crossed arms instantly fell at his sides, "Did Seth talk you into coming, too?"

Jacob had a welcoming smile on his face as I came to a trudging stop in front of him. It was a smile that had a light all of its own, shining through the darkness and shining brighter than the light of the moon. I had to work extra hard to fight-off its contagious smile-back effect…so I scoffed at him.

"Seth couldn't talk _me_ into anything!" I spat as I put my hands on my hips.

Jacob snorted out a laugh from his place against the tree as he looked me over.

"I believe it," he said with a nod, "So, how're you doing, Leah? I haven't seen you in two days. You Clearwater's have been acting weird, lately."

I swallowed, guiltily, at his accusation, and Jacob grinned as if he knew what the weirdness was about. Apparently, my status as "coma-Jacob's sitter" had changed to "amnesia-Jacob's crush" in only a manner of days! Calling it "weird" was an understatement.

"Well—" I started to explain, but Jacob was quick to interrupt me.

"It's because of Quil, isn't it?" Jacob asked as his lips pulled up into an unashamed smile, "It's because of what he heard me thinking."

I answered by frowning at him, and Jacob, who noticed, laughed to himself.

"Well," he began as he, proudly, crossed his arms over his bare chest, "You're here. So, I guess it didn't scare you off."

My eyes narrowed, infinitesimally, from him thinking that I could be "scared off" so easily, and I scowled at him.

"I've seen a lot of scary things in my 20 years," I spat as I crossed my own arms over my chest, "But, knowing that some amnesiac has a crush on me is the least of them! Besides," I paused to look him over, "I don't even know, exactly, what Quil heard!"

A wide grin spread across Jacob's face at my confession, and it caused his eyes to sparkle as he stepped away from the tree. He took two steps towards me until he was standing an arms-length away, and then he leaned forward so that his eyes were eye-level with mine. I gulped at the sudden closeness and at how his eyes seemed to dance as they stared into mine.

"Would you like me to tell you what I was thinking?"

His husky tone was almost a whisper, and the combination of that and his grin almost made me forget to be defensive. Never-the-less, the sudden sound of my own heart pounding in my ears quickly reminded me. I glared at him and then uncrossed my arms so I could push him back to a more acceptable distance. Jacob laughed as he stumbled back a step in the darkness of the woods.

"I couldn't care less," I stated as I again crossed my arms over my chest, "But, for Seth's sake—in case he was ever to me make me mad enough to torture him—don't tell me."

Jacob snorted-out a laugh at my words and then made a show of looking around the forest.

"Where is Seth, anyway? I thought we were supposed to go," he paused to make air-quotes with his fingers, ""trick-or-treating"."

I was surprised that Jacob used the phrase as if he knew that it was codeword for something else; as if he had known that Seth was planning to sacrifice him to the vampires, and worst of all, Bella Swan.

"Yeah, about that," I began and then rolled my eyes before saying my next words, "Seth won't be coming. Don't thank me, or anything, but I came to save you from the pajama-party at leech manor."

Jacob's eyebrows lowered in contemplation as he examined my face. The amusement that had once been there, turned to seriousness, and I suddenly felt like I had said something wrong! I opened my mouth to ask him what his problem was, but—

"You. Came to save. _Me,_" Jacob shook his head as he repeated the words in disbelief, and then, a second later, a smile formed on his lips.

"If this is how you're going to react when someone catches me thinking about you, I'll think about you more often!"

My eyes narrowed, threateningly, as I opened my mouth in protest, but I ended-up gulping air. Jacob's imposing size quickly advanced on me until he was at arms-length, again, and smiling down at me. I, again, gulped at his sudden closeness, and at the way his eyes gazed down into mine.

"Are you sure this isn't some alternate universe that I've slipped in to? 'Cause really—it would make a lot more sense than this whole _amnesia_ thing."

I only blinked at Jacob's words. I was unsure how to respond, (or if I even could), and I was even more unsure if I knew what the heck he was talking about! Jacob seemed to pick-up on it, immediately, and he gave a frustrated sigh as he searched for a way to explain.

"You never used to talk to me," he said, "Hell, you never even looked at me! Wait."

Jacob paused then and stepped back as his brow wrinkled in thought.

"I take that back," he said, "You did, once, roll your eyes at me."

His full lips curved-up to show a set of brilliant white teeth that lit-up the darkness and caused my heart to skip-a-beat. No one ever smiled so much when they were around me. No one much wanted to be around me! I stared up at Jacob Black. His nearness and his smile had pretty much distracted me from hearing anything he had said.

"Huh?"—was all that came out of my mouth.

Jacob smirked at my incoherence and took a step closer.

"You never used to notice me," his voice was a whisper as he lazily glanced down from my eyes to my lips, "And now, you're trying to save me."

My eyes widened as I noticed how the space between us was quickly thinning and that Jacob's eyes began to close as he leaned in! _Crap!_ _He's trying to kiss me! _I immediately took a step back to regain the space, and Jacob sighed in frustration. I looked up at him awkwardly, and he smiled down at me, completely unashamed.

"You know," I swallowed as I tried to distract him with a subject-change, "You saved me, too."

As moonlight filtered down on the two of us through the leaves of the trees, and I looked into his dark eyes, I felt a sense of timelessness. Suddenly, it seemed like it had been ages ago that he had tried to save me from those newborn vampires, and as I looked up at him he seemed so much older. Funny how he only remembered being 13, and yet, I sometimes had to remind myself that I was older than him. Jacob nodded at my words.

"The other guys talk about that day all the time...minus a few details," he said with a knowing smile before winking at me as if knew that we were all hiding something, "But, as I understand it, it could've been you under the care of Dr. Fang instead of me."

I searched his eyes, wondering how suspicious he was, but I decided to ignore it.

"Yeah," I quickly said in agreement as I thought about the vampiric-healthcare that Jacob had received, "You start to notice someone when they save you from a fate like that."

Jacob crossed his arms over his bare chest as he gave a laugh, "So, that's what it takes to get your attention—a guy's nearly gotta get himself killed first."

I stared at the ground beneath us as my eyebrows lowered in contemplation. I had never thought of myself as the kind of person who ignored people; especially, not now that the tables were turned! My pack brothers ignored me all of the time. I looked up at Jacob, sympathetically.

"Jacob," I said his name as I gave him a serious look, "Back then, I never knew that you wanted my attention."

Jacob lowered his head and leaned forward so that he was looking me straight in the eye.

"No surprise there," he said with a smirk, "Sam always had all of yours'."

I gave a heavy sigh as I looked away from Jacob and fixed my eyes on the ground. He was right and I knew it, and all of sudden, I realized just how much.

"I think," I paused as my realization created a lump in my throat, "I think Sam still, sort of, does have my attention."

I cautiously looked up at Jacob, afraid of what I'd see in his eyes. I was afraid I'd see his "I-told-you-so-look", and I was afraid, if I did, that I'd have to injure him. Instead, even the darkness of the woods, I saw only understanding and sympathy. Jacob smiled down at me and it warmed the cold-part of my heart that had belonged to Sam.

"I know," Jacob said, and then his smile turned smug, "But, I'm willing to wait."

My eyebrows lowered as I noted his smugness.

"Wait for what?" I spat as I examined him with annoyed-suspicion.

"I'll wait for you," he replied with a steady and confident tone, "When you're finally over him."

Jacob stood up straight, towering over me, and the smug smile he wore on his face, suddenly, seemed like a challenge. I glared at him.

"Even then," I said as I stood up on my toes, leveling the playing field a little, "You'll still be waiting!"

Jacob stood a little taller, if it was at all possible, and I sunk back down to my heels with an annoyed sigh. Clouds had seemed to have formed in the night sky, obstructing the light of the moon, and causing our dark surroundings to seem even darker. I suddenly felt like an idiot for having stood in the darkness for so long.

"Jacob, I hate to bust up this _meaningful_ conversation that we're having, but when I said that I'd save you from the leeches place—I meant to offer up an alternative destination...not to just stand here in the woods all night."

Jacob raised a curious eyebrow at my words.

"What alternative destination?"

With a shrug of my shoulders, I spun on my heel and then started dodging past the dark trees that obstructed my path.

"HEY!" Jacob called out before he jogged after me, "I thought you were going to offer me an alternative. Offering requires telling, you know."

I glanced up at the tall, shirtless boy walking in pace with me on this Halloween night. His black hair that was still chin length was, also, still falling in his face. He was all russet-skin-covered muscle and ridiculous height. Wearing the usual pair of cut-offs as if it was pack-issued, and he was completely Jacob. There was no guise as far as I could see.

"The alternative is to follow me, Squanto," I mocked him with the name as I gave him a once-over, "Is _this_ supposed to be your costume?"

Jacob shrugged.

"Depends on who's asking, Pocahontas," he countered back with a name of his own, "'Figured it was an easy-out to say I'm a werewolf."

I rolled my eyes as we walked through the dark woods, and, darkness-be-damned, he noticed the eye-roll.

"Why, what are _you_ supposed to be?"

I turned to look up at him as we walked on. His eyes seemed to twinkle with some magical-inner-Jacob-light as he stared into my eyes. I gave a frustrated sigh as I focused my eyes forward.

"I'm annoyed."

.

* * *

.

The "vroom vroom" sound of a motorcycle had me clenching my fists angrily at my sides as Jacob and I walked towards the house where Jared and Kim were having their Halloween party. In front of the nosy house was a costumed moron riding around on a black motorcycle.

"When did Paul get a bike?" Jacob asked curiously just before running off towards the moron on the stolen Harley.

I let out a frustrated growl as Jacob approached Paul. I was going to kick that motorcycle out from under him, and THEN I was going to break both of his legs! With another growl, I ran after Jacob.

"Jacob!" Paul said the name with a mixture of surprise and irritation as he pulled off his "Ghost Rider" mask.

The skull-mask looked cheap with its fake, plastic flames, and if it was any indicator about the movie that had yet to come out—I expected it to suck too.

"When'd you get the bike?" Jacob asked as he squatted to the ground to examine the motorcycle.

I shot Paul a dirty look from behind Jacob's lowered form, and Paul raised his hands in the air as if to say: "How was I supposed to know he'd be here?"

"I—" Paul began to make-up, what was sure to be, a bad lie, but luckily, a skilled liar saved us all!

"A guy in my Psychology class was sick of having this thing darken the corner of his garage," Rachel Black artfully lied to her brother as she walked towards us, "He sold it to Paul for two-fifty."

Jacob stood to his feet and looked between Paul and Rachel with skeptical eyes.

""Two-fifty"!" Jacob said the word as if he didn't buy-it, "Did it run?"

"Yeah," Rachel confirmed as she looked him squarely in the eyes, "The tires were flat, but other than that," she paused as she ran a hand over the handle bar that Paul was holding and then winked at him, "it runs like a dream!"

Jacob stared at his older sister for a moment as if he was testing the truth of her words, and then he looked back down at the motorcycle.

"Hm, sounds like you got a steal."

Rachel nodded in agreement just as a couple of dressed-up idiots stepped out of the house, yelling for Jacob. Paul set the motorcycle on its kickstand, and Jacob glanced my way before the two of them disappeared through the doorway. I sighed as if I had been holding my breath, and then I shot Rachel a quizzical look. She grinned at me and thread her arm through mine as she pulled me towards the house.

"I never really liked Bella Swan, either," she whispered in my ear, and I couldn't help but to smile.

The sweet scent of tomato sauce and cheese filled the air as we walked inside of the house. A slasher movie was playing in the background, but no one watched it as they gathered around the boxes of steamy pizza. I gave bored looks to the boys as they scarfed down the food like the animals that they were. Rachel and I, both having brothers, were used to the sight, and we quickly pushed our way passed the animals before they ate all of the pizza.

"What are you supposed to be, Leah?" Jared, with a ski mask pushed up on his head, asked.

I rolled my eyes at his over-used costume, and then took a bite out of my slice of pizza.

"She's "annoyed"," Jacob told them as he made air-quotes with his fingers.

"More like annoy-ing," Paul added, and it garnered a laugh from the other pizza-eating morons and a smack to his shoulder from Rachel.

"Yeah," Jacob's tone was derisive as he spoke to Paul, "Sort of like your attempt to look cool on that Harley."

Rachel put a soothing hand on Paul's angrily-vibrating shoulder as the room filled with laughter at his expense. Jacob looked up at me with a smirk on his face as he sat near an opened box of pizza, but I only stared dumbly at him. Jacob Black had just defended me in front of a pack of pizza-eating wolves. Only four months ago, Jacob probably would have sooner fed me to a pack of wolves! Now, he was confessing his desire for my attention, promising to "wait for me" in a way that was more outdated than knighthood, and now, he was even standing up for me...to Paul!

"I'll rock-paper-scissor you for it!" Brady challenged Colin as they fought over the last remaining slice of pizza.

Jacob watched the two of them as they commenced their rock-paper-scissor duel, and I just stared at him. I watched a smile grow on his face as he observed the two youngest members of the pack and I allowed myself to acknowledge, for the first time, that his was a handsome face. Not in that more rugged-way that Sam was handsome, of course! No, actually, Jacob was arguably cuter, and whenever his full lips curved up into grin...he'd win the argument, easily.

"Best two out of three!" Brady bargained from losing the first round and Jacob laughed as Colin grabbed-up the last slice of pizza, anyway.

Jacob pulled a strand of hair that had fallen in his face behind his ear and then he noticed me looking. For a moment, I stared into his eyes as if I was seeing him anew; as if he was no longer Rachel and Rebecca's little brother, but instead he was his own entity. I realized, then, just how much I liked Jacob Black.

"Leah?"

I jumped at the sound of my name and spun around to see Kim standing behind me.

"They're...finished," she announced as if she was sorry to tell me, and it took me a moment to realize what she was talking about.

I noticed that a bedroom door was opened-up from across the living room, and inside, Rachel was holding a dress against herself as she looked in the mirror. I swallowed hard at the sight, and Kim reached-up to put a soothing hand on my shoulder.

"Since you're here," she began as she tilted her head towards the room Rachel was standing in, "I'd like to see if I need to take-the-dress-in anywhere."

I suddenly regretted having left the comfort of my bedroom and my TV. It was some trick to show-up to a Halloween party, only to have to try on a bridesmaid dress! It sure as hell wasn't a treat!

"Fine," I sighed my surrender as I followed Kim to the room.

I stopped once I was inside and stared at the dress that was meant for me. Rachel and Kim, both, gave me reassuring smiles, and I quickly turned my back to them, making way to close the door. Jacob caught my eye from across the living room, and I held his sympathetic gaze until I pushed the door closed.

"So," I said as I turned back to my fellow bridesmaids, "This must be your answer to the age-old question: Trick or Treat."

Rachel and Kim shared a look as I walked passed the bed and up to the place where my pastel-colored dress was hanging. I noticed that there was a can of black spray paint, conveniently, located on the bedside table. I guessed someone had probably used it for their Halloween custom, but a mischievous smile crept across my face as I thought-up my own use for it. I grabbed for the can and then made a show of shaking it up as I sent the other two girls daring looks.

"How about adding a little black, right...HERE!" I shouted just as I pretended like I was going to spray the dress.

"NO!" Rachel and Kim screamed as they knocked the can out of my hand and then tackled me to the bed.

We all laughed and the other two girls rolled on to their backs as we laid on the bed.

"You two suck." I blurted-out as I stared up at the ceiling.

They were silent for a moment as they laid at either side of me, probably wondering how this wedding was ever going to work as long as I was apart of it.

"I know," Kim replied, sounding remorseful.

"This whole situation sucks," Rachel added.

I glanced at the two girls and then stared back at the ceiling with a sigh.

"There are worse things," I said as if I needed to convince myself, "There are always worse things..."


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry times-a-zillion! Yes, it's been 2 months. Yes, I have excuses. No, I will not bother you with them. Here is chapter 9. In advance, please ignore my bad attempt at trying to write with an accent. And, "Hello!" to the new readers. I will try NOT to make this whole "2-months-no-update-thing" a habit.**

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Chapter 9

November 7, 2006

The sound of a wolfs' cry pierced through the morning air like an air raid siren. It seemed to shake the very walls of my room and it woke me with a start. I sat upright, rubbing at my tried eyes, but just as I decided that the sound had been a dream and I started to lie back down...I heard the cry again!

"Sam."

I threw the sheets off of myself and then scampered for my bedroom door. Seth stumbled out of his room at the same time and we spared each other a wide-eyed glance as another howl sounded from the woods. We both took off running for the front door, nearly mowing each other down in the attempt to be the first one out, but our pathway was suddenly obstructed by one, Charlie Swan.

"Good to know I'm not the only one who hears it," the man who had one hand on his gun holster and the other around the handle of a coffee mug admitted as we stood behind him in the open doorway, "Sue tried to tell me that I was hearing things."

Seth and I shared a look of urgency as we both wondered how we could run off towards the wolfs' cries without looking suspicious. Seth put a hand on Charlie's shoulder as he moved around him to look him in the face.

"I think mom's right. I don't hear anything either," he lied just before running off towards the trees.

I groaned as I watched him go and Charlie turned his head, just enough, to examine me with one eye. I was only wearing an oversized t-shirt as I ventured out of my house towards the sound of a howling wolf. _WHO wouldn't be suspicious of that? _I quickly racked my brain for a viable excuse as Charlie looked at me as if he was expecting one.

"Umm. It's a tribal thing."

No sooner had the words left my mouth that I was running through the woods, pulling my shirt and panties off to leave them in a trail behind me before phasing into my other form. My heart raced at the onslaught of adrenaline that was shared by my pack brothers, all of them, and my stomach churned as my running paws brought me closer to the stench of vampire.

_Sam, I got her over here!_ Paul's thoughts were a hiss.

_Yeah, she's by the north side, too. _Jared announced just before every other member of the pack agreed to seeing the same black-cloaked vampire.

I ran deeper into the woods until I saw the first familiar form and I came to a skidding stop. Jacob's tail swished back and forth as he sunk low to the ground, following the taunting movement of the female leech.

_What do we do? _he asked as he snarled at the teasing vampire.

The pack mind went silent as we all waited for the Alpha to give us some direction. I could see through the eyes of my brothers that all of them, even Seth, were staring down the same unnaturally, pale faced female with the long dark hair. Everyone, but me.

_On the count of three._ Sam ordered as his eyes fixed on his own phantom. _We'll attack. One of us has to have the real one._

My eyes darted through the trees as I smelled vampire everywhere, and yet, there was really only one. I watched Jacob as he pawed at the ground, preparing to charge.

_One. _Sam counted and I felt the others bristle with excitement.

_Two. _Jacob took a threatening step towards the vampire with a vicious growl, and the other wolves seemed to do the same. The woods were alive with the sounds of feral snarls, and somewhere, back home, I imagined Charlie had pulled his gun from its holster and was pointing it at the trees. Sam let out another ear-splitting howl just as his thoughts shouted the word: _THREE!_

Jacob launched himself at the vampire as she made an impossible Matrix-looking move that would have broken anyone elses spine. My mind was filled with a dizzying compilation of attack moves that quickly turned to failures as each of my pack brothers went straight-through their vampire apparitions. Through the haze of their anger and agony over hitting ground, boulders and trees instead of stone-cold vampire limbs—I was able to see wolf-Jacob lying on the ground despite my spinning vision. A sinister laugh echoed around me as I tried to see past my brothers' emotions to function. A black streak flashed past my line of sight and I spun around in a dizzy circle with a snarl. Another clone of the female leech stood before me, smiling her "catch me if you can" smile, and before I thought to attack, she leaped forward at me with her fingers curved into claws. I didn't have the chance to make a move as I realized that this wasn't just another clone—this was the real thing! I braced myself for impact, closing my eyes with a wince just before she hit me! Yet...all I felt...was a bluster of air.

_Huh?_

_Leah! _Jacob was up and at my side, sniffing me for wounds just as I noticed a swirl of white and black barreling through the woods like a runaway boulder, taking down a few small trees.

I stepped away from Jacob as the swirling mass, slowed, becoming discernible as two bodies that were rolling over each other in battle. I ran towards the two as the tricky female leech was pinned to the ground by the mind-reader. She hissed at him in protest like a captured wild cat and thrashed underneath him as she slurred out a stream of curses in a language that sounded like Russian.

"Quiet!" the mind-reader ordered as he lifted her shoulders from the ground only to violently slam them back down, "Why have they sent you here?"

At that, the female laughed, and her laughter seemed to reverberate off of the large, furry wolves that had formed a wall around her. Some of them growled in response, and she shot them a dark look before glancing back at her captor.

"Vhy do you zink?" she asked in a heavy accent, "Caius vants eenformation on verevolves."

At the word "verevolves" several members of the pack unleashed warning snarls as they both wondered why we were being spied on, and when we could tear this Russian leech apart. The mind-reader acknowledged our questions with a quick look around, but then, as if she had spoken to him, his brow creased and his eyes turned to the wriggling vampiress underneath him.

"No," he said as he glared into her eyes, "The wolves' sole concern is to protect their people. Our agenda is separate from theirs."

A stir went through the pack as we questioned exactly what the Cullen's "agenda" was, but before any of us asked for an answer, our ears were altered to the sound of quick approach. The sickly sweet smell of vampire grew stronger than it already was, and soon enough the woods were cluttered with a bunch of them. My lip curled-up over my fangs as I noticed that the one big leech with big arms had a skinny white girl slung-over his back.

_There's your "agenda", boys._ I thought to the others as I narrowed my eyes at Bella Swan.

"Fuflo!" the pinned-down female suddenly spat with such venom that it must have been a cuss word, "No alliance? Vhy zen is your coven jere?"

An annoyed expression crossed the mind-readers face, and he turned to look, accusingly at the one who had brought Bella. The big leech smiled and shrugged as he glanced at the human girl. It was almost as if he were saying: "She made me do it!" The mind-reader shook his head, and then, ignoring the squirming, hissing leech underneath him, he opened his mouth to speak to his family.

"Caius thinks that the wolves," he paused to give us an apologetic look, "are our guard dogs, so-to-speak."

The one big vampire laughed at this, and the sound of his booming laughter garnered a cacophony of snarls from the pack, but it didn't faze him.

"Emmett," the doctor vamp only spoke his name as he stepped forward through the crowd of his family, and it was enough to shut the laughing leech up.

The mind-reader looked up at the doctor as he continued to hold down the antsy female, and they seemed to have a silent conversation for a moment.

"The Volturi are under the impression that we hold an alliance with the wolves in order to revolt against them," the love-sick leech then spared a worried but lingering glance to Bella, "They plan on coming for us all."

Bella's quiet but sharp in-take of breath sounded like a loud gasp to the sensitive ears of abnormally large wolves. Jacob went tense at the sound and he felt a tiny glimmer of protectiveness for her. I quickly tried my best to disguise how much that bothered me, but you can never completely hide what you feel while in wolf form. Jacob's head turned to me and his almond shaped eyes were filled with curiosity as his ears stood at attention.

_So, are THEY going to kill this leech, or are we?_ Paul asked as he crouched low to ground and fixed his unblinking, predatory gaze on the vampire in question.

_I don't think it's that simple._ Sam replied.

The mind-reader nodded in agreement as he looked to the great black wolf.

"She's just the messenger," he said, "If we kill her we will only be sending a message that we're ready for war."

At the word "war", a feeling of panic came from Sam and reverberated through the pack like a shout echoing through a deep cave. His thoughts of Emily were painfully loud and I winced as images of his imagined wedding day flashed through my mind like a bad dream. Jacob was quick to notice my discomfort and he nudged my shoulder with his snout as if to comfort me, but I couldn't look at him. Instead, my eyes looked to the mind-reader as he rose to his feet, leaving the female free to run.

"Go!" he ordered her as he stepped back, clearing a space.

She looked around, cautiously, with wide red eyes as if she didn't trust that "going" would be so easy. Paul growled as he pawed restlessly at the ground, itching to attack, but Sam ordered him to: _Cool it! _

"We have no interest in harming you," the doctor vamp affirmed as he kneeled beside the black-cloaked female. A look of disgust crossed her face as she examined him, and then, very slowly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"You vould kill zat human if you knew vhat vas good for you," she spat as she glared darkly at Bella.

With an angry hiss, the mind-reader made a lunge for her, but the doctor was quick to hold him back.

"You would leave now if you knew what could for you," the mind reader warned her as his eyes turned black.

A sinister smile crept across her face at his reaction and she quickly stood to her feet. The doctors' grip tightened around the mind-reader's arm as she glanced around at the growling wolves that surrounded her.

"The wolves have nothing to do with this," The doctor promised, "Please pass that message on to Caius."

The female gave an utterance of doubt as she looked at the doctor, and then, swift as fire, she shot-off like the sparks from fireworks, going in all different directions. Jacob and I spun around as one of her clones went running between us. Paul, thinking he had nipped at her arm, found himself chomping on air as another clone breezed past him.

"Astonishing!" the doctor commented as he witnessed the leeches' ability for the first time.

The other vampires all chatted among themselves about what they had just seen while the wolves brooded over the fact they hadn't caught her. Sam's was the only one whose thoughts weren't solely on the vampire. His worry over Emily and the possibility of delaying his "big day" was louder than any other thought. An annoyed growl escaped me as I glared at the black wolf. His eyes met mine; they were anxious and totally oblivious to my presence as he feared what would happen if the leech showed-up at the ceremony.

_Sure! _I spat._ You'll make your angry ex-girlfriend a bridesmaid, but God-forbid that a VAMPIRE should crash your wedding!_

With a deep sigh, Sam's head lowered in exhaustion.

_Leah, you don't have to be there. You don't have to be a bridesmaid. No one will blame you for that._

He raised his head so that he could look into my eyes, and I felt a surge of fire course through my veins with such a fury that I felt the urge to attack him.

_HAVE TO? _I mentally shouted. _HAVE TO? Yeah, you're right, Sam. I don't HAVE to be there, but I was asked to be, and I'm not going to wuss-out just because it hurts. I wouldn't want to make it any easier on YOU by not being there!_

With that, I angrily trotted past him and then shoved my shoulder so hard into his side that he stumbled over. I ran for home, then, but I didn't out-run the mind-readers' promise to keep guard on Sams' wedding day. And I couldn't out-run the fact that it was all, really happening. I was going to be a bridesmaid at my ex's wedding. It was a cruel joke and I was the brunt of it. With a frustrated growl, I tracked down my carelessly discarded clothes and then quickly phased back to put them on before anyone came running after me. And sure enough, someone did. I sighed loudly and pulled down my shirt just as the trampling sound of large paws quickly turned into the ripping sound caused from phasing. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to close myself up inside my room, and not even "Jacob Black" could change that! I walked off towards home, ignoring his attempt to come after me.

"Leah, wait up!" he called out just before jogging up to my side.

I rolled my eyes.

"WHAT? You feeling chivalrous again?" I spat-out the words as I marched forward, not looking at him, "Cuz I'll tell you where you can shove your chiv—"

The breath quickly was knocked out of me as Jacob spun me around, wrapping his arms around me until my chest pressed against the solid hardness of his. It was my natural instinct to fight him off as he held me tight, wrapping his strong arms securely behind my back as he tried to comfort me with a hug. His face was pressed into my shoulder and I could feel his warm breath through my oversized t-shirt. The overall warmth of him made me give up my fight as it seemed to seep through the thin material of my shirt, and then under my very skin where it relaxed my defiant muscles. I couldn't deny how good it felt to be held. It had been too long since I had last been held. My brow tensed with repressed emotion as I stood still in his arms, allowing him to hug me, and my stupid lip started to tremble with the urge to cry. Jacob's arms tightened around me then as if he sensed it.

"I wish," he began and then gave a frustrated sigh as if he was at a loss for words, "I wish I could make you forget about him."

I swallowed hard at his statement because it reminded me of how much I wanted _him_ to forget Bella. I reached up my hands to gently push away and Jacob loosened his grasp around me.

"That would be nice," I admitted as I pulled back to see his face.

His brow was lowered in concentration and his expression was all-serious as he stared down at me, almost painfully, as if he wished so bad that he could make it happen. I wouldn't tell him how being around him, already, was helping me forget about Sam.

"Too bad amnesia's not contagious," I added, trying to sound light-hearted, "At this proximity I could probably catch it from you."

Jacob cracked a smile then, and the sight of it made my heart soar. The pounding muscle inside of my chest felt like it had risen inside my throat, and then, almost as if it had controlled my vocal cords just to tell him about it, Jacob seemed to notice the acceleration. He examined me with his dark, knowing eyes as his smile widened.

"With my luck you'd probably forget me too," he said, smiling irresistibly.

A frown immediately tugged at the corners of my mouth and I averted my eyes downward at the thought of forgetting Jacob. Strangely enough, forgetting Sam didn't seem worth the risk. I gave a heavy sigh at the thought, and suddenly, a strong finger lifted my chin so that I was staring up at his face. His smile quickly turned smug and he removed his finger from under my chin once he had my attention.

"Admit it," he said, crossing his arms over his chest as his smile spread into a grin, "You're crazy about me."

His eyes twinkled and his grin was breathtaking, and though I couldn't see my own reflection in that moment—I felt the heat rise in my cheeks and I crossed my own arms over my chest as I glared at him, ready to defend myself, but—

"It's the muscles, right?" Jacob teased as he flexed a bicep.

"Pfft!" I scoffed with a roll of my eyes, but before I could properly tell him off, the sound of running feet silenced me.

"Hey!" A new voice yelled to us and Jacob turned to face it.

Seth jogged forward with the slightest bit of a scowl on his face as he eyed the two of us at close proximity. It was probably only detectable to someone like me, who knew his facial expressions like the back of my own hand.

"Jake." Seth said his name as if it was some type of fungus, "Sam needs us back."

At the drop of Sam's name, I clenched my fists at my sides and then instinctively grabbed for Jacob's muscular arm.

"Tell Sam he can STICK-IT!" I yelled as I walked-off towards the house with Jacob in-tow, "We're off-duty!"

"Wha—" Seth stuttered as I marched forward and he quickly scampered after, "But—Leah! There's vam—"

We all fell silent as we walked through the trees and stopped at the sight of the people in front of the house. Charlie Swan stood on the driveway in front of a parked Billy Black as he rambled on about wolves and kids who ran after wolves. My mom stood at Charlie's side as he threw a finger towards the trees and their conversation stopped as soon Billy lookedwhere he had pointed.

"Jake!" Billy called out in a mixture of relieve and desperate plea.

Mom and Billy were no doubt running out of excuses to feed Charlie. I stayed back with Seth as Jacob walked across the lawn to meet them and a strange empty ache panged inside of my chest with each step he took away from me.

"Charlie, why don't you come over for dinner tonight and we'll talk about this later?" Billy suggested as he glanced meaningfully at Jacob and then rolled himself backwards in his chair.

Charlie held a look of suspicion on his face but he didn't question them.

"Bella had planned on cooking tonight. Why don't you and Jake come to our place instead?" he said it as if it were a challenge.

To my disapproval, Billy quickly agreed to Charlie's invitation and my brow twitched angrily at Charlie's: "Bells will be glad to see you, Jake."

Seth shifted at his place beside me at the words, but I ignored it as I fixed my eyes on Jacob. I was bothered by the fact that he seemed so willing to go over to the Swan's house. He smiled at Charlie with a real smile—the kind that reached his eyes and I pouted.

"Leah," Seth suddenly whispered my name in a harsh tone and it made me flinch, "Don't even _think_ about going over there!"

I scowled at his words.

"The thought hadn't crossed my mind!" I whispered back just as harsh.

With a frustrated sigh, Seth headed back into the woods, and I found myself, mindlessly, chewing on a finger nail as I watched Jacob make small talk with Charlie. _How could he possibly look so happy to have dinner with Bella Swan! _

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I crept quietly forward, low to the ground and stealth as a snake. My view from the trees across the street had been fine, of course, and I had had no problem hearing their conversations. Never-the-less, I found myself moving closer to the Swan house, sticking to the shadows as best as I could and staying away from the light that illuminated from the windows. I came to a stop under the kitchen window and cautiously peeked my head up to see through it. The four of them sat at a small table in the kitchen, listening to one of Billy's stories as their plates sat empty, or near-empty, before them. Jacob's back was facing me and Bella bit-back a smile as she averted her eyes away from Billy to look at him. Billy had invented some Quileute legend that could cover for why we had run towards the sound of howling wolves. It was total bologna...

"_You_ natives and your crazy superstitions," Charlie grumbled with a shake of his head, "Leah did try to tell me that it was a 'tribal thing'—running after wolves. Humph. I just always thought that that girls' head was screwed on better than that!"

My breath hitched as I silently laughed at Charlie's words and Jacob's head turned just enough so that I could see part of his face. Instantly, I sunk low to the ground and pressed my back against the cold bricks of the house as Jacob's chair slid across the floor.

"I'm going to step outside of a sec," he announced.

My ears followed his foot steps towards the front door and with an annoyed sigh I crept away from the window to meet him. I stepped on to the curved sidewalk just as he closed the door behind him and I put on a scowl, preparing myself for accusations.

"Leah," his voice was filled with surprised-amusement as he said my name and my scowl faded as soon as I noticed his smile, "I _didn't figure you for a stalker."_

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at me sideways as if he was daring me to deny it. I only gaped at him as he slowly strolled towards me, making me feel smaller the closer he came.

"Pfft!" my scoff came too-late to sound convincing, "I only showed up to see if someone had finally told Charlie about what's really going on around here."

Jacob shrugged, "Dad thinks it's Sue's place to tell him about that—not us."

Taken aback by his words, my eyebrows lowered and I looked away confused.

"What?"

Jacob snorted out a laugh.

"Are you really _that_ blind or do you only see what you want to?" he asked as he searched my eyes, "Charlie and Sue have been seeing each other for the past few months!"

I stared dumbly up at Jacob and then turned to walk away. I wasn't "blind". Inside I had always known what was going on. I just didn't want to think that she had forgotten my dad so easily. I quickened my pace then and made way to dodge past the tree in front of the Swan's house, but Jacob cut me off and braced his arm up against it. Abruptly, I stopped and glared up at him and at his blocking arm.'

I groaned in annoyance as he looked down at me expectantly.

"I try to ignore certain things," I admitted as I stared into his dark eyes.

Jacob smirked and nodded his head as if he had already known it.

"Like your feelings for me," he challenged with a twinkle in his eye.

"Pssh!" I scoffed more quickly this time, "What feel—"

"Sure, sure," he said as he moved towards me at such an angle that I backed myself up against the tree, "Your going to tell me that we used to hate each other, right? That it's just one of the many things I can't remember?"

I gulped as I examined his closeness and the way his hand was braced on the tree at the side of my head.

"You did hate me—you resented me, at least—just like the other guys in the pack."

"I don't buy that," he replied with a shake of his head, "Just like I don't buy that that Paul owns a Harley, or that you and Bella shop for wolf figurines at the same store."

I felt the color drain from my face and I gulped as Jacob looked down at me with his knowing eyes. Despite that I had always considered him to be a moron, I wasn't lost to the fact that Jacob was also wise beyond his years. Two older sisters and a handicapped dad could do that to a person! My eyes grew wide and my heart panicked as I suddenly wondered how long he had been wise to my lies. Jacob snorted.

"Don't have a cow, Leah!" he laughed at the expression on my face, "I haven't figured out what it is that you're trying to keep from me, yet, but whatever it is—You're not doing it because you _hate_ me."

I swallowed and my lips parted to say something, but he beat me to it.

"In fact," his voice was a whisper as he bent his head lower, "You don't hate me at all."

I examined his face as he lazily glanced down from my eyes to my lips and I felt my own eyes doing the same. I couldn't hid it from myself any longer. I wanted to kiss him, but there was just something stuck in between us—almost like an invisible force field—and I just couldn't do it.

"I don't hate you," I confessed as he searched my eyes, "but," I paused to take a deep breath, "You might hate me when you do find out what I've been keeping from you."

Jacob's brow creased and he took a step back as he watched me intently, waiting for me to fess-up. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite sure how to start.

"Bella," Jacob suddenly said and my eyes went wide at the name. _He knows!_

"Huh-What?" I fumbled.

"Bella's coming," he repeated as he stepped away from me and the tree.

No sooner had he said it that the front door opened and I leaned around the tree to see Bella poke her head outside.

"Oh," she said, sounding surprised once she saw me, "Hi Leah. I was just going to ask Jake if he wanted desert. You're invited too, of course."

Jacob looked back at me as if he was waiting on me to answer for the both of us. I gave a heavy sigh as I noticed the light in his eyes.

"Sure," I said to Bella and Jacob smiled at me before he looked back at her, "Jacob would love some, but I was just about to go."

Jacob turned around to glare at me, then. Whether it was because I wouldn't be eating Bella's desert with him, or because he knew I had just chickened-out—I couldn't be sure. The truth was that I had chickened out and I was almost grateful to Bella for giving me the opportunity.

"We'll talk later," I told him and then spared Bella another glance before walking away.

"See you at the wedding," she called out to me and her words halted my footsteps.

Any gratefulness I had felt towards her quickly vanished, and I clenched my fists at my sides as I walked towards the trees. Even though I hated leaving Jacob alone with the girl he had once loved, and still would have loved if he hadn't forgotten her, I almost hoped that she'd tell him what I was too chicken to tell him. Once I reached the security of the trees, I looked back at the Swan house in search of Jacob. I caught a brief view of him through the living room window with a smile on his face for Bella, and even though I wasn't the one to put that smile there I was still happy to see it. I was not a groveler, but even as I watched Jacob disappear with Bella into the kitchen, I knew that, for him, I would grovel. If Jacob found out about all that I had done and he hated me for it...I was prepared to grovel. And along with thoughts of groveling, attending my ex's wedding, and being on the vampire-mobsters' kill-list...phasing was a breeze. Sometimes I wished that everything else would be so easy.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

November 10, 2006

"Her dress needs to be taken-in right here," Kim said as she pulled a pin from her teeth and pushed it through the material at my waist.

"God Leah! I can't believe you've lost weight since our last fitting," Rachel scowled as she examined the way her own bridesmaid dress clung to her figure, "The pounds you lost, I think _I_ found!"

Emily's small bedroom filled with giggles at Rachel's words, but I didn't even smile. This was the nightmare of every girl that had ever been dumped by the guy she had once loved. All I saw when I looked at my own reflection was not the strappy, pastel-colored dress but the bed that was reflected in the mirror from behind me. Emily was not a cruel person, but I couldn't help to wonder if she realized what this was doing to me. Here I was...standing in my ex's bedroom as I tried on the stupid bridesmaid dress that I would wear to his wedding with another girl. All I could think was that I really must have done some bad things in my past lives to deserve this kind of torture. In another life I must have been a baby-killer, or a slayer of cute and fuzzy, baby animals.

"You look beautiful," Emily said from over my shoulder as she looked at my reflection in the mirror.

Her words snapped me out of my thoughts, and I rolled my eyes at her.

"Thanks," I mocked as I examined her glowing, happy face for a moment, "…so do you."

Emily's lips pulled up into the smile made crooked by her scars, and then she laid her head on my shoulder.

"Leah, I'm so grateful to you for being here," she whispered just before pulling away from me.

I gave a humorless laugh under my breath as I watched her walk away in the mirror. Her white dress made a swishing sound as she moved and part of me wanted to ruin her happiness by saying things like: "I sure hope those vampires don't show-up as you're walking down the aisle." And then: "What a shame it would be if the guys had to phase in their nice black suits!" But, I said nothing. I took a deep breath and upon inhale I could smell someone coming, someone familiar. Suddenly, there was a strong knock at the closed door and the three other girls screamed as it caught them by surprise. I rolled my eyes at their girlish screams and marched towards the door.

"It's only Jacob," I said as I reached for the door knob.

"DON'T OPEN TH—" They all screamed again and Kim and Rachel scrambled to hide Emily behind a sheet they held up.

Carelessly, I opened the door wide and then felt a smile pull at the corners of mouth from seeing the tall figure in front of me. Jacob, who was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of cut-offs, noticed my stupid dress before he noticed my face and his heart skipped a beat as he looked me over. My heart, too, pounded more loudly.

"Get out of here, Jacob!" Rachel ordered her brother.

"Sorry, ladies," he apologized with a sheepish-looking grin, "I just need to borrow Leah for a little while."

Excitement filled me as I stared up into his eyes, and then, all of us who were wearing dresses simultaneously demanded: "WHY?"

Jacob chuckled.

"I need some help writing my best man's speech."

"Awwwwww!" The other girls cooed.

I narrowed my eyes at the girls' response as if the idea of, me, helping with a speech that was about Sam and Emily was a good idea. It was a ridiculous idea! Never-the-less, I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to get out of Sam and Emily's bedroom. Eagerly, I made a move to leave and go wherever Jacob would lead me.

"LEAH!" the girls yelled-out just before I closed the door.

"WHAT?"

"I need your dress," Kim reminded me and I looked down at the thing that I was wearing.

"Oh."

Quickly, I spun around and gave Jacob a bored-look before going back inside the room and closing the door. The girls sighed in relief and then sent me glares as I reached around to unzip the dress. I ignored them as I carelessly climbed out of the dress, and then, a moment later, I was back in my usual tank top and shorts. I couldn't wait to get out! I pulled the door open so fast that the hinges squealed, and then I shut it just as quickly.

"DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE REHEARSAL!" Rachel yelled at me through the closed door and I angrily marched past a grinning Jacob.

"You looked really pretty in that dress, Leah."

His voice was teasing and I rolled my eyes at the compliment as he followed me out of the small house.

"Trying to butter-me-up isn't going to help your speech—I'm a terrible writer!"

I could hear Jacob chuckle from behind me as I stepped-out on to the grass

"I'm not trying to butter-you-up," he said, "I meant it! And don't worry about the best man's speech—that was just my excuse so the girls would let you go."

I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned to see him as a smile formed on my face. He already wore a smile on his, but it grew even wider as he saw mine.

"I figured you were probably miserable," he admitted as he walked past me and waved for me to follow, "Besides, you owe me a talk, remember?"

I felt the color drain from my face and my smile instantly faded at his reminder. I _did_ remember telling him that we would "talk later"…and suddenly, I really regretted it! Two days had passed since then. It had been three days since I had last seen him and I was barely able to enjoy the moment before he ruined it with his reminder. I scowled as I watched him walk-off towards the direction of his house.

"Come on," he called.

He walked on—tall, proud and confident as he glanced back at me with a smirk on his face, noticing the sluggish way I followed after him. We didn't say anything, and I tried to think-up a way I could get-out of telling him about my little scheme, but I was out-of ideas. There was quite a bit of distance between us as Jacob, finally, reached the entrance of his over-sized shed and then pulled the door open. He made a show of bowing down and gesturing with his hand towards the entrance, and I realized that I owed the truth to him.

"Hurry up," he called as he looked up at the gray sky, "It's going to rain soon."

I didn't care about getting wet, but I immediately followed his order and jogged towards him. He grinned his carefree, happy grin and gestured for me to enter first. I forced another smile as I looked him in eyes and I silently begged him, in advance, to forgive me.

.

* * *

.

A warm can of coke sat between my knees as I stared out the windshield of Jacob's car. He sat next to me in the driver's seat as the rain pelted down on the tin roof of his makeshift garage. There was nothing but the sound of the rain clanking off the roof as we sat in silence…_awkward_ silence. My pulse accelerated once I noticed just how awkward it had become, and I shot a glance at Jacob. His heart rate, on the other hand, sounded completely relaxed, and he _looked_ relaxed too! He had one arm resting on the car door while the other was slung-over the back of the seat. He was already staring at me as I glanced his way, amusement dancing in his dark eyes as he patiently waited for me to spill the beans. Quickly, I averted my eyes down at my coke can.

"Leah," Jacob said with a laugh, "Whatever it is—I'm not going to hate you for it! It's impossible that I could hate you."

I humphed at that and looked up so that I could see his eyes.

"Believe me," I said, "it's _not_ impossible. I've lied to you, Jacob. I've orchestrated the entire pack to lie to you!"

Jacob laughed.

"Really?" he asked, "The ENTIRE pack? Even Quil?"

I nodded and ticked their names off on my fingers as I said them: "Brady, Colin, Seth, Embry, Paul, Jared and Sam."

"That's pretty impressive," he commented, "It must be something worth lying about if you convinced all of those guys to do it."

I shrugged my shoulders as he looked my over. But, what had once seemed like a worthy lie, now, just felt like a big mistake.

"So what's the lie?"

I swallowed at his question and held his gaze while I tried to work up the nerve to just come out and say it. I mean, it wasn't so bad. It wasn't even really a lie! Jacob just hadn't been given all of the details from the past 3 years of his life, that's all!

"You really don't remember anything?" I asked, sounding hopeful, "Nothing at all? Not even little flashbacks now and then? _Déjà vu_? ANYTHING?"

Jacob quirked an eyebrow at my question.

"Why? Am I missing-out by not remembering? Because, so far—vampires, funerals and having my skull cracked open—none of it sounds like something I'd want to put in my scrapbook."

I ignored his attempt at levity as I examined the face of the16 year-old boy, who only remembered being 13, but who seemed so much older. I knew he didn't have a scrapbook. I would have found that during my search of his room, but he did have some keepsakes from the life he didn't remember—so that had to count for something! Suddenly, despite all of my own convictions about Bella Swan, I wanted to know if he would consider her to be "someone _worth_ remembering"...

"Hypothetically speaking," I began as I gave him a serious look, "What if you…what about falling in-love?" I blurted it out, "Would that be scrapbook-worthy?"

My ears were alerted to the sudden pause and then acceleration of Jacob's heart rate as his dark eyes searched mine.

"Hypothetically?" he said the word as if it were a question, "I don't know. It depends. Are we talking about one-sided love? Or, something mutual?"

I sort of grimaced at the fact that the answer to his question was more complicated than either of his answer choices.

"Well," I began, wincing-up my face as I looked at him, "It was sort of mutual, but just not equal."

Jacob made a face and then narrowed his eyes at me.

"Leah, that doesn't make any sense."

I nodded in agreement. Maybe at one time I would have understood it better, but now, I guess I was just biased. I stared at the side of Jacob's handsome face as he looked through the windshield again, and I couldn't imagine how a person couldn't love him as much as he loved them, if not more. Jacob was right...it didn't make any sense.

"We're not talking hypothetically here, are we?" he asked as he looked at me with knowing eyes.

I gave a heavy sigh in response and then realized how terrible I was at this. I should have just used the "rip-the-band-aid-off-method" and told him straight-out that he used to be crazy in-love with Bella Swan, but for some reason it was just too damn hard to say. I couldn't bring myself to say those words.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out as my hand quickly searched for his car door handle, "I suck at this. I can't do this."

In a fluster, I pushed his car door open, and then, forgetting the coke can, spilt it in his floorboard as I tried to climb out.

"CRAP!" I yelled as I looked around the makeshift garage for something to clean the spill with.

Luckily, an oil stained rag was lying on the ground near the car and I grabbed for it as I knelt down to sop-up the spill, feeling like a total idiot. I silently cursed myself for spilling coke in Jacob's beloved car as I pressed the rag down on the spill. If he didn't already hate me for the truth that I was too-chicken to tell him—he'd hate me for messing-up his car, I just knew it!

"Leah?" Jacob tenderly spoke my name in such a soothing way that my heart started.

The rag dropped from my hand at the sound and I looked up to find that the look in his eyes was just as tender. The dark brown depths of his gaze shined with an inner light that seemed to seep into my very soul and I forgot to breath. _He wasn't mad!_ I gulped as his lips curved-up in that irresistible way that I had been trying so hard to resist, but today, I just couldn't.

"It's okay, Leah," his voice was low and husky like a voice trying with difficulty to cover strong feelings, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

The sweet understanding of his words, suddenly, made me ache to be near him. Faster than I knew I could move on two legs I crawled across the passenger seat of his car until there was no more crawling room and my knees pressed against his leg.

"LEAH?" Jacob questioned just as I took his surprised face in my hands and—more desperate with need than I ever could have imagined—I pressed my lips to his.

Jacob was quick to wrap his arms around me and he pulled me so tight against him that I could feel a happy chuckle rumble through his chest. His lips were a smile underneath mine and the feel of them sent tingles throughout my body that made my blood heat-up feverishly. I leaned into him, wanting to be even closer as my mouth coaxed a more serious reaction from his. Soon enough, Jacob's lips moved under mine—soft but firm—and my chest swelled-up with warmth just as every other part of me that touched him sweltered irresistibly from the heat of his skin. If there had been any doubt left in my mind about my feelings for Jacob—they had just been obliterated. Being in his arms felt like home, my new home, and I wanted to stay. My lips slowly broke from his so that I could see his face. A small satisfied smile played on his mouth as he lazily opened his eyes to see me. There was something very familiar about the look on his face. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment, the moment when I would let down my guard and open my heart to him. I looked away once I realized why it seemed familiar. I had seen this sort of satisfaction on his face before, only, last time, it hadn't been because of me.

"It was Bella," I said the words to myself as I remembered.

"_Bella_?" Jacob repeated the name as if he'd never even heard it before.

My eyes widened as I quickly realized that my words had doubled as a confession and I felt like kicking myself! Jacob stared hard at me for a moment and I stared back as I examined his face for recognition. It took him a moment, but soon enough his expression took-on the hard-cold look of understanding and he withdrew his arms from around me. Reluctantly, I moved back into the passenger seat, frowning over the loss of his touch, and Jacob was frowning too. He stared angrily down at the floorboard for a moment before he looked back up at me with searing eyes.

"You have a funny way of telling people things, Leah."

I swallowed at the sound of hostility in his voice and then averted my eyes down.

"I know," I mumbled, "But, I told you that I suck at this."

Jacob didn't say anything. He sat on his side of the car, staring out the windshield while one hand had taken a firm grip on the steering wheel. I imagined that a hundred questions were running through his mind, silently driving him crazy. It made me hate myself and I wondered how long I'd have to wait for forgiveness before I could kiss him again. Then again, maybe there would be no need for forgiveness if I relieved his mind of his questions! I took a deep breath.

"So what do you want?" I asked, "The long version or the short version?"

Jacob snapped out of his trance to examine me with scrutiny in his eyes, and I suddenly wished I had never spoken Bella's name.

"The short version," he said it as if only to appease me.

I frowned as Jacob went back to staring out the windshield and I felt disgusted with myself for how quickly I had been able to ruin my own moment of happiness.

"The _long_ version it is," I muttered and Jacob again turned to look at me, but as I had suspected...he didn't complain.

Not too long ago, I remembered telling myself that if ever I were to tell Jacob about those 3 years he had lost—I'd give him the PG version. As it was, I was done hiding things from him and I intended to give him every detail I could recall up until the moment of his fateful head injury.

"I sort of came in during the middle of this whole mess, so excuse me for not knowing all the details at the start," I began, "But, from what Sam says, it all started at First Beach..."

Jacob sat quiet on the driver's side as I told him all the gritty details of his failed romance with that vampire-lover. Sometimes he clenched the steering wheel a little tighter, but he never said a word. I told him about the Harley that Paul rode around on, and how I'd make him give it back ASAP, but Jacob didn't respond. I told him about the wolf figurines and how Bella's wolf was the only one meant to be seen, but that I couldn't bring myself to throw away the others. Jacob didn't even flinch at that, but when I apologized for throwing away his other Bella memorabilia, he gave a dry, humorless laugh. Through his silence, I started to wonder if he cared if I went on or not, but I was resolved too. Besides, the best was only yet to come... I paused for a few moments before I told him about his last desperate attempt to make Bella see the light. I winced at the mention of their shared kiss and his dashed hopes. And then, all that was left was his shining act of chivalry that almost cost him his life.

"I've often wondered if you knew, all along, what those two newborns had planned, and if you rushed-in for that very purpose," I said as I stared at the silent Jacob, wondering what he was thinking, "You probably wouldn't ever tell me the truth if you remembered it, anyway."

Jacob didn't deny or admit it, and I allowed him a few minutes to let it all sink in before I started to _really_ worry. I stared at his profile for a few minutes at a time and noticed how his jaw would occasionally clench. Part of me wanted to scoot closer to him, just to touch him, but he was so deep in his brooding that he was almost putting off these "back-the-hell-off" vibes.

"Jacob," I suddenly spoke his name, getting impatient.

He flinched at the sound of my voice and his eyes blinked a few times as if they hadn't for a long while.

"I don't remember any of it," he muttered, not looking at me, "But it all makes sense now."

His voice sounded sort of bitter at the end of that sentence, like his voice, once, used to. I stared at him eagerly waiting for him to say more, and then to get to the part were he realized it really wasn't a big deal, and then, finally, he forgave me. Jacob shook his head at his own thoughts, whatever they were, and I felt myself get a little angry at not-knowing.

"Man, Leah!" He suddenly shouted as he shoved the heel of his palm into the car horn.

The loud honking sound didn't jar me nearly as much as his shouting-voice did.

"Do you think you could've possibly found a worst time to unload all of that on me!"

His eyes were dark, darker than usual as he looked over at me, and they were cold, too.

"Probably not," I admitted as I dared to hold his angry gaze, but he looked away.

"I wish you hadn't told me," he muttered almost too low to hear, but I had heard it, and it made my jaw drop.

"What!" I spat in disbelief, "You mean you're mad BECAUSE I told you the truth?"

"No," he said, shaking his head as he looked back at me, "I'm mad at your delivery."

He turned to me in his seat, then, and clenched a shaking fist as he looked hard into my eyes, "I'm mad that you destroyed a perfectly good moment by filling my head with a bunch of shit I can't even remember! And NOW," he spoke the word loudly before running his hands angrily through his hair, "I can't get any of it OUT of my head!"

He leaned-in closer to me all-of-sudden, and I didn't budge even as his searing gaze scorched my face.

"I can't remember feeling that way about Bella. I don't feel that way about her. You're the only one I've ever felt that way about, and," he paused to clench his jaw as he swallowed, "it's like you're trying anything you can to mess it up."

I stared at him apologetically, but he turned away from me and then grabbed for the car door handle

"I need to be alone."

"Wait!" I shouted as I lunged for him, but he was too quick and I felt the breeze of air hit my face from the slammed car door.

I scowled as I turned to watch him walk away through the back window. I wanted to apologize for my terrible timing. He couldn't possibility regret that I had ruined our first kiss anymore than I did. No way! I watched as he shoved open the door of the shed and then stormed-out. I wanted to tell him that I had a very good reason to be guarded and to keep him at arms length. I couldn't handle a repeat of the Sam-Emily fiasco. If Jacob imprinted on someone—it'd probably kill me. Surely he knew that. I slid across the front-seat and sat on the side where Jacob had been sitting. It was still warm and even though I wanted to run after him and to apologize and give him my excuses...I knew it would only fall on deaf ears. He wanted to "be alone". I gave a frustrated sigh and pushed my way out of Jacob's car. Standing on my feet, I looked around his makeshift garage, feeling lost and out of place. I didn't know what to do. I had told Jacob everything. It was done. So, now what?

"LEAH!" An aged voice suddenly called my name from outside, and realizing it was Billy I went to his call.

The rain must have stopped sometime ago, but I had been too distracted to notice. The ground was soaked as I came into Billy's view and saw that he was parked in the doorway of the house. He waved for me to come over.

"Hey Billy."

"Rachel just called," he announced, "She's looking for you—said," he paused to make air-quotes with his hands just like his son would, "'to light a fire under your butt and get back over to Emily's'."

I cracked a small smile at that, but it didn't reach my eyes.

"Thanks for the message," I said flatly, "The wedding just won't be complete if the disgruntled-Leah is absent."

Billy chuckled.

"You're a strong young woman, Leah. Honorable. Harry would be proud."

I glanced away at his last words, wondering and doubting if there was any truth to it. I was guilty of quite a few dishonorable acts. Jacob could certainly vouch for that.

"Where's Jake?" Billy asked and I looked back at him as he searched the land behind me for his son.

I only pointed a finger towards the trees, knowing that if I opened my mouth to say anything about Jacob that my voice would probably crack. Billy nodded as if my arm-gesture was sufficient and I was relieved.

"Well," he said, "Don't let me keep you. Those girls will probably send the wolves out for you if you don't show-up pretty soon."

I scoffed at that. The wolves I could handle. The wedding rehearsal—maybe. But Jacob being mad at me... I sighed.

"Wish me strength, Billy," I said before turning to leave.

"I don't know another girl who has as much strength as you do," he called out to me as I walked away, but I wasn't so sure about his words.

Somewhere beneath those trees, Jacob was out there probably cursing my name, and if he went too long without speaking to me I would go crazy. I was strong in some ways, sure, but when it came to anticipation, when it came to "not knowing", when it came to waiting to hear back from a boy who might possibly never talk to me again...I was weak.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks for the positive feedback on the last chapter. I'm not happy with it and I feel like it needs a re-write. Also, I'm not very happy with this next chapter either, but hopefully it's a bit better than the last, or maybe not. This whole thing of "Jacob knowing the truth" really just feels too weird, to me...which is probably why last chapter had some weirdness. Plus, it's kind of awkward, for me, trying to write amorous-Leah. *shrugs***

**Anywayz, here's a little WARNING: This chapter contains a tiny bit of alcohol consumption, but if you've attended a few weddings in your life you know how common that is. Never-the-less, underage drinking is BAD! ;)**

**Finally...You are ****cordially** invited to the wedding of Emily Young and Sam Uley. (don't gag!)  


* * *

Chapter 11

November 11, 2006

Old Quil was chanting a wedding blessing in our native tongue from his place in front of Sam and Emily, and the sound of our language struck a chord in my heart that sort of-nearly-almost made me happy for them. I might have been generally happy for them if they weren't blocking my view of Jacob. Not caring about the wedding formation that was practiced at rehearsal, I moved over a step so that I could catch a glimpse of the best man. And then, there he was, in a black suit with his chin-length hair pulled back for the occasion. His expression was serious as he stood straight and tall, focusing his eyes on Old Quil. I stared at him, hard, willing him to look at me because he hadn't looked at me since yesterday when we were both inside his car! Jacob's head turned the tiniest bit then, and his dark eyes finally met mine. My heart thudded excitedly in my chest for the briefest moment, and then, ever-so artfully, Jacob shifted his weight on to his right leg so that, again, he was out of my line of sight. I sighed my frustration loudly and it earned me a few looks from the other attendants who sat in the modest rows of seats that graced the sandy ground not too far from the beach. I clenched my fists upon noticing and something gently hit the skirt of my bridesmaid dress, sliding down its long panel until it landed on the ground. I looked downwards to see what had landed at my feet, and I noticed how the bouquet I had been clenching in my too-tight grasp had started to wilt from my excessive heat. As a consequence, a white rose bud had fallen off the bouquet and it stared up at me from its place on the ground. I stared back at it as my mind wandered off to that short moment in Jacob's front seat when his lips burned away Sam's hold on my heart.

"Leah!" A harsh whisper sounded in my ear and I thrashed around to look over my shoulder.

Kim pointed a finger at something behind me and I turned to see that Emily's hands were held-out in waiting.

"Oh!" I said a bit too loudly and then thrust the flimsy bouquet into her hands.

Emily forced a smile as another rose bud bit-the-dust, falling to the ground. I smiled at her sheepishly as she turned to walk back down the isle with Sam, and then, there was nothing but air between me and Jacob. He was quick to offer me his arm, as was his job, and I wrapped mine around his as we made our wedding procession down the short, sandy aisle. I stared up at his profile and he intentionally didn't look at me, but under the weight of my eyes, he clenched his jaw.

"The maid-of-honor's supposed to take care of the bouquet," Jacob informed me, "Not demolish it."

My eyes narrowed at him, even though part of me was thrilled that he had spoken to me at all.

"What would _you_ know about it?" I hissed, "You didn't even show-up to rehearsal!"

Jacob's dark eyes shone with amusement as he glanced down at me, but there was no smile on his lips.

"I didn't need to rehearse for _this_," he said coolly just before leaving my side.

I looked around and realized that we had reached the end of the procession trail and that the rest of the bridal party had dispersed. Angrily I glared after Jacob for seemingly trying to avoid me.

"When are we going to talk about YESTERDAY!" I yelled-out to him as he walked away, but he didn't even turn around.

I groaned in frustration and then realized that I was being watched. Feeling eyes on me, I turned around to meet a pair of big doe-like ones, and I ground my teeth together. _Bella. Swan._

"Is Jake okay?" she asked quietly as she stepped away from Charlie to look at me with concern.

I gave a long drawn-out sigh, rolling my eyes as I prepared myself to say mean things—LOTS of mean things!

"CLAIRE!" Quil suddenly yelled just as I opened my mouth to speak.

The 3-year-old ran past me in her puffy dress then, and I took a step back out of her way.

"Can't catch me!" she provoked as Quil nearly knocked me, trying to catch her.

"Cla-aire!" He scolded, "Your mom's going to kill me if you get all-covered in sand!"

My eyes narrowed at the interruption and I watched as Quil caught the little giggling girl just before she took a nose-dive into the sand. Quil then proceeded to lecture his imprint about not playing in her dress-clothes and I looked away with a roll of my eyes. By then, Bella had turned her attentions else where and I sighed as I noticed that she was having some mundane conversation with my mom. It was something to do with Alaska and universities. I shook my head at that and then trudged off, feeling all alone despite that so many others were around, and I continued to be alone even as darkness fell, and the wedding party had moved over to "The Uley's" house...

.

* * *

.

"Leah, don't you want to eat something? I'll bring you a plate of food." Seth offered me as I sat on the ground next to the table that was covered with presents.

I looked up at my little brother who looked older in his black suit aside from the teen-boy sized portion of food that was on his plate.

"No," I replied as I looked past him to the dirt-dance-floor, where Sam and Emily swayed to some cheesy love song.

I wasn't nearly as affected by them as I thought I would be. Honestly, it didn't even hurt. By now, I was pretty much numbed to seeing Sam with another girl. I looked away from the dancing couple then, and my eyes focused on the table that was covered with food. Jacob stood there, amongst the other guys in pack. He looked sort of solemn, but occasionally he would smile at something one of the idiots would say. Occasionally, one of those idiots would look over at me when I was the butt of some joke. Jacob didn't smile or laugh when they talked about "Leah's crazy plan", but he didn't take-up for me either.

"No," I said again as I looked back up at Seth, "I'm not hungry."

Feeling the rest of the packs' eyes on me again from having spoken, I slid across the ground until my back was facing them.

"You did the right thing," Seth quickly tried to reassure me as he took a bite out of his sandwich, "Just ignore the other guys."

Ignoring not just "the other guys", but Seth also, I smoothed out a wrinkle from my skirt and then looked-up to examine the presents that were on the table before me. Quickly, I realized that I hadn't bought Sam and Emily a gift, but considering our past history, they probably expected no less from me, and I couldn't imagine giving Emily anything more. After a few moments of my silence, Seth shuffled off, leaving me alone as I continued to look at the presents that weren't mine. A very unmistakable shape was wrapped in shiny, silver wrapping paper. It was a shape that represented comfort and a temporary escape from reality. My hands seemed to act on their own accord and I was oblivious to everything and everyone else as they slowly reached up to grab the present.

"What are you doing?" a deep, husky voice jolted me and I glanced-up at the dark figure that was hovering.

Jacob's eyes narrowed as he noticed how my arms had frozen in mid-air in an attempt to reach the present.

"Stealing wedding presents," I replied sharply as I lowered my arms, "What does it look like?"

"It looks like you were planning on getting wasted."

Jacob's voice was thick with disapproval as I looked longingly at the present that was, indeed, a bottle of some type of alcohol. Most likely wine...or champagne...I couldn't be sure.

"Leah, you're better than that."

"No I'm not," I disagreed with a firm shake of my head, "And what do you care? You've done nothing but ignore me since yesterday!" I paused as I noticed that my words had no affect on him and it made me mad, "Besides! There's nothing wrong with it, anyway. I'm a bridesmaid at my ex's wedding! I deserve a damn drink!"

Pathetically, I used the ole' "my-ex-boyfriend-married-my-cousin" excuse, even though, today, it was only the snow on top of my mountain of frustrations. Jacob, on the other hand, was the entire foundation.

"Here," he said as he offered me his hand, "Get off the ground—you're messing-up your dress."

I stared at his hand, and then upwards to his black-coat-covered arm, and then to the tie that was loosened around his neck. So long was it that I had been around too many half-naked guys that I really appreciated a man in clothes. Jacob was sort-of the one exception, however, but never-the-less, he looked especially handsome in his suit. My eyes traveled upwards then, settling on the smooth planes of his face before I gazed-up into his dark eyes. His chin-length hair was pulled back into a short pony tail, leaving no strands to fall into his eyes and as I stared at him I suddenly felt the need to grovel.

"Jacob," I spoke his name, ignoring his held-out hand as I stared apologetically up into his eyes, "I'm sorry—I'm really, really sorry."

"Apology accepted," he said dryly and then impatiently wagged his hand for me to take it.

I looked at him skeptically, unconvinced of his acceptance, and my lips parted in preparation to call his bluff. Jacob groaned in annoyance from my reluctance to take his hand, and then, in one swift motion—his hands captured my waist and he lifted me from the ground. My heart pounded fast from the shock of his quick movement and then my cheeks angrily flushed.

"UGH!" I groaned as I balanced on my feet and then sent him a glare, "This is why I don't wear dresses!" I shouted as I dusted off my skirt, "Wearing a dress is like wearing a giant banner that screams: "Look at me! I'm all feminine and helpless!""

Jacob swiftly removed his hands from my waist and quirked an eyebrow at my words.

"Leah. Dress or no dress. You're about as helpless as a grizzly bear."

I rolled my eyes at that and then noticed that everyone who hadn't left yet was moving inside of the house. Jacob and I were the only ones left outside, but somehow, I wasn't as pleased to be alone with him as I thought I would be. Jacob just simply hadn't been the same since I had confessed, and the change in his behavior had caused a perpetual frown to form on my face.

"I'm tired of seeing you sulk by this gift table," Jacob added as he looked me up and down with narrowed eyes, "Sam sure-as-hell isn't sulking. You shouldn't waste your time pouting over him anymore."

I glanced back at the house as hoots and hollers echoed through the windows, and whatever it was that was going on..._Sam _was probably having the time of his life. _Sam_ was probably participating in another stupid wedding ritual with Emily. I didn't care about _Sam_. I looked back at Jacob. His face was too serious and it surprised me that, even after having kissed him, Jacob still thought I was in-love with Sam. Jacob must have thought that our kiss meant nothing to me! I shook my head at that.

"Who says I'm sulking over Sam?" I asked as I stared pointedly into his eyes.

Jacob gave a bitter laugh, "When aren't you sulking over Sam?"

With a frustrated sigh, I took a step closer to him and stared hard into his eyes.

"Since you finally got through to me," I said as I reached up a hand to roughly grab him by the collar of his black coat, "Since all my crazy attempts to keep your past a secret from you and your memories from returning—worked against me and I fell for you! YOU, the moron who nearly got himself killed trying to save me. So stop being mad at me for having told you about your past!" I shouted as I jerked him by his collar and then let go, "Everything I've done since you woke up has all been for you. I wasn't trying to push you away by telling you that you were in-love with someone else! I don't want to push you away!"

Jacob's eyes searched mine like a lifeguard searching the coastline for a swimmer who'd been afloat, one second, and then went under, the next. I was definitely going under from the way he stared into my eyes and the urge to touch him was maddening.

"Jacob. I'm going to kiss you," I warned him, "And this time, I promise I won't ruin the moment."

My eyes didn't break from his as I took a step closer until the skirt of my dress brushed against his pants. I could hear the sound of his breath quicken as I slowly slid my hands up his black coat, feeling the strong-hardness of his chest underneath his clothes. My eyes fluttered shut as I leaned-in close enough that the heat from his skin was radiating on to my face. My lips lightly brushed his then, just once, teasingly, before pulling away. A frustrated sound bellowed from Jacob's chest then, and he firmly pressed his lips to mine as his big hands clasped to my back, pulling me tightly against him. My knees went all-girly underneath me as his urgent kiss caused my lips to part and I could taste him. As our mouths eagerly moved together, our hearts thudded loudly in our ears, blurring out all other sounds and our combined heat was sweltering. Our hands touched and groped one another, pressing ourselves closer together until 217.8 degrees wasn't nearly hot enough. I felt the urge to sigh, or to cry-out in joy from the way his body, pressing against mine, made me feel whole. I kissed him then with the fervor of a girl who hadn't been kissed in years and his soft lips sent electric heat throughout my body. His hands slid-up my back then until they reached my face and he slowly pulled me back. I didn't mourn the loss of his lips against mine because I could still feel his kiss buzzing on my mouth.

"Perfect," he huskily breathed the word as I opened my eyes.

His eyes were heavy-lidded as they examined me and his lips were curved-up into a satisfied smile. Jacob took a deep breath then and I smiled back as I felt his chest move against mine, rising and then falling.

"Is that your expert opinion?" I asked.

Jacob grinned his breath-taking grin at me and I took a breath of my own.

"I'm no expert," he admitted, unashamed, "Hell, I don't even have any experience with this, but yeah, I thought it was pretty perfect."

His words faded my smile. The whole fact that I could remember what he could not, made the whole moment bittersweet, for me. I was tempted to remind him that he wasn't as inexperienced with kissing as he thought, but then again, I had promised not to ruin the moment.

"What's wrong?"

Ever perceptive, Jacob picked-up on my mood change and he wrapped his arms securely around me. I quickly tried to play-off the fact that the dark clouds, indeed, were hanging over me. I smiled up at him and then laid my head against his shoulder.

"Nothing," my voice attempted to sound reassuring, but on the inside, my mind morbidly reminded me of Jacob and Bella's kiss.

More than ever, I regretted all the stupid memories I had gained from sharing the pack mind! Jacob snorted at my reassurance.

"Don't ever try to be a professional poker player," he teased and I lifted my head from his shoulder so I could see his face.

He smiled at me and his eyes danced with a contagious happiness that filled up my lungs with the sweetest air. My heart started to pound loudly in my ears as I gazed up at his handsome smiling face, and it was all that I heard. Jacob smirked at hearing the acceleration, and all of a sudden, I took his face between my hands and softly pressed my lips to his, just once. But, once, was once too many. My hands dropped from Jacob's face as the sound of silent party guests accompanied the sound of moving feet. Jacob, having noticed it too, had his eyes open as he stared at something behind me. A loud guffaw broke through the silence then, and I spun around to see a snickering-Paul walk out of the house to stand amongst the rest of the gaping wedding party.

"Shut up!" Rachel hissed through her teeth just before hitting the laughing Paul.

I swallowed as my eyes caught sight of Sam, whose expression was some mixture of hurt and shock. Emily, on the other hand, almost looked pleased. Seth looked sick, and mom only blinked as she stared at me. Everyone stared at me! They stared at me so hard I felt that I might spontaneously combust! Even Bella Swan judged me from the place she stood next to Charlie. My eyes flashed over each of their faces with a dizzying, stomach churning speed. The compilation of their gaping and disapproving expressions—along with what I imagined were their harsh judgments—made me desperate for an escape. I could just hear the teasing Jacob and I would receive from our pack brothers, and I knew that Jacob would probably hear the worst of it.

"_I can't believe you let LEAH CLEARWATER kiss you! Seriously dude—you couldn't slum any lower if you went chasing after that white girl again!"_

I could just hear the terrible things they would say to him about me, and I couldn't stand it! My eyes shot a glance at the gift table again, and the unmistakably shaped gift that represented an escape from reality, suddenly, glowed like a beacon of hope. I bolted!

"Hey!" The entire wedding party seemed to yell as I swiped the wedding-wine from the table and then darted for the trees.

I ran until I could no longer hear the murmurs of their voices or the way Jacob tried to defend me. I hoped upon hope that he would stay there, and NOT do something chivalrous—like run after me. I ran a little farther through the dark woods at that thought, and then I stopped next to a tree. The liquid inside of the bottle, sloshed, as I artlessly tore the wrapping paper from around it and then picked at the cork with my fingers. I didn't have much experience with drinking, but with the never ending harassments, that I _knew_, were soon to come, I was ready to gain some experience! The pack had learned from Sam that werewolves could burn-off alcohol much faster than the average human, and so, I had plans to drink the entire bottle. In my mind, I saw the disgusted expressions on my pack brothers' faces, from me having kissed Jacob, and I took a swig from the bottle. The liquid was sweet as it touched my tongue, and I realized that the wine would sooner probably put me into a sugar coma before it gave me a buzz. Never-the-less, I drank-on as it dawned on me how impossible it would be—how UNCOMFORTABLE it would be—to have a romantic relationship with someone in the pack. _Did I even want that?_ I slid down to the base of the tree, bottle in hand, as I realized that I _did_ want that. I wanted Jacob, but even as I leaned against the tree, slowly emptying the bottle; Jacob was probably getting an ear-full of reasons why he shouldn't want me….

.

* * *

.

"She emptied it!"

A familiar voice woke me from my sprawl on the cold forest floor, but I didn't move. My limps felt heavy and my head was too fuzzy to issue any motor commands.

"Look at her!" the voice spoke again through the haze in my head just as the sound of shoe-hitting-glass _clinked _on the ground, "Mom's gonna be pissed!"

Suddenly, I felt the ground disappear from under me as I rose-up into the air and started floating.

"Probably," a different voice, a closer voice, spoke and I could feel it vibrate against my ear, "But you can bet Leah will be ready with her excuses."

My eyes fluttered open then and I saw the blurry face of Jacob as he carried me. I reached up my arms, which had been hanging limply, and I wrapped them around his neck.

"Great! You're awake!" a voice that was distinctly Seth's, scoffed, "Leah! What were you thinking? You know how mom feels about drinking!"

I wrapped my arms tighter around Jacob until my head was buried into his shoulder.

"I wasn't thinking," I mumbled into his shirt.

Jacob's chuckle shook me as he held me in his arms, and I kept my face buried in his shoulder.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Leah," his voice was thick with amusement, "You've been doing a lot of thinking the past few months. Scheming, planning and lying—all require thought. ...kissing," he paused for effect, "requires thought too."

Seth groaned at that and Jacob laughed in response. I pressed myself into him even more, as if I could hide somehow.

"I was feeling," I mumbled, barely inaudible into his shirt as my eyes closed shut.

There was silence as I felt the motion of forward movement and I didn't even wonder where the movement was leading us. The swishing sounds of feet walking through grass created a steady rhythm that was almost like a lullaby. And my grasp loosened around Jacob's neck as I felt myself drifting off into sleep. My head slid down Jacob's chest as my arms relaxed and he cradled his arm under my shoulders. My heavy eyelids tried to open as I remembered something important that I needed to tell Jacob. My intoxicated brain put forth one last-ditch effort as I wondered about the possibility of us daring to have a relationship. The words came out as a whisper that probably sounded like incoherent nonsense to both him and Seth, but I meant every word:

"I'm game if you are."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

November 12, 2006

Two quick hand-smacks to the butt woke me wide up and I flipped over in my bed, tangling in the sheets as I angrily held up my fists. Quickly, I lowered them as I noticed the fearless—if not ferocious—look on my mothers face. She sat on the edge of my bed starring at me like I had done something wrong. Her eyes, themselves, were punishing.

"Leah," she spoke my name calmly but firmly, "There is no excuse for your behavior last night. I have told you and Seth thousands upon thousands of times that drinking is never a cure—it's a temporary fix that only leads to more problems, and—"

"I know, I know," my voice sounded muffled as I rubbed at my sleepy face and then my tone turned mocking, "'To drink is only to add fuel to the stereotype that all Native Americans are alcoholics'. I know, mom, I know! I made our people look bad!"

With that, I fell backwards on my bed and pulled the sheet over my face so she couldn't see me roll my eyes.

"Leah, I know you're still in pain, and I know how unfair it was to be Emily's maid-of-honor—let alone go to the wedding—but to turn to alcohol for relief," she paused and I could just imagine the disappointment on her face from behind my sheet, "That's only letting _them_ win, Leah! And on top of it all—you stole one of their wedding presents?"

I groaned and then sat back up so I could scowl at her.

"God-forbid if I had stolen a blender!" I spat, "Emily would never have been able to mince, grind or puree!"

Despite the amusement that had curved-up my own lips, there was none on her face. I sighed.

"I did Sam and Emily a favor," I defended myself, "You always said that drinking and marriage don't mix—they sever. So, I eliminated the variable that could have ruined their marriage. Besides," I shrugged my shoulders and averted my eyes to my bed, "Me drinking—had nothing to do with Sam and Emily."

Her silence made me look up, then, and her face didn't seem all that surprised to hear my words.

"What's going on between you and Jacob?" she asked, curiously, "I found out last night about your PLAN. Charlie was upset to hear about it."

I gave a careless "humph" at that, and then stared into the all-too-serious eyes of my mother, silently.

"Why did you do it, Leah?"

My eyebrows lowered, thinking that it was all very, self-explanatory: Bella was just like the bloodsucking leeches she loved so much—she had drained the life from Jacob. Then, I realized that even if I had said those words it still wouldn't have explained "why" I cared. I took a deep breath in preparation to tell her.

"I'm sort of in-love with him," I admitted as I stared bravely into her eyes and her eyes quickly widened.

"'IN-LOVE'!"

"Oh puh-lease!" I groaned as I crossed my arms over my chest, "As if that's any weirder than, you, being in-love with chief Swan!"

A familiar chuckle quietly echoed from somewhere in the house and my own eyes went wide.

"Who's here?" I demanded to know, even though, part of me already knew _who_ it was.

"Your…_love_…is," my mother answered and I grimaced at her words.

I wasn't ready for her, or anyone, to refer to Jacob in such a...committal way. My face sort of winced-up as I looked at her and she laughed at the expression.

"He came over to check on you," she added with a warm smile, "You were passed-out when he brought you home last night."

"Sorry," I apologized sincerely as I suddenly, truly, regretted having drunk the wine, "That won't happen again."

My mom nodded in agreement and then leaned forward to kiss my forehead.

"He's waiting. I'll send him in," she whispered as she rose from my bed and then turned to go.

Her foot steps halted, suddenly, and she looked over her shoulder to catch my eyes.

"I'm happy for you," she whispered again, "So be happy for me too."

With that, she walked away, leaving me to considered her words, and I did. _Be happy for her and Charlie? _It almost seemed like a betrayal to my dad to be happy for them, but then again, my dad had always liked Charlie. In truth, my dad loved them both and he would want them both to be happy. Why not together?

"Hey, Leah."

The deep huskiness of Jacob's voice made my pulse accelerate, feverishly, and when my eyes looked up to meet his, he grinned.

"Hey," I said back as he stood in my bedroom doorway, practically filling-up the entire space.

He wore his usual cut-offs, and even a t-shirt. I had noticed how he seemed to wear shirts more now then he did before the coma as if it was just for me. I appreciated it. The mystery of what might be underneath those clothes was so much more exciting than when he didn't leave very much to the imagination. Of course, my imagination wasn't necessary; I had already seen Jacob naked.

"Can I come in?" he asked and immediately walked into my room without waiting for an answer.

I didn't say anything as I still stared at him. Suddenly, the edge of my bed dipped from his weight and it made me slid into him. I watched as he turned to face me, sliding a knee up on to my bed that touched one side of my hip while he leaned over to brace himself up on an arm that touched the other side of my hip. I felt sort of pinned down in my own bed from the way he closely leaned over me, but I didn't mind. I took a deep breath, breathing him in and I was tempted to grab him and roll him on to the bed, pinning myself fully beneath him.

"So, you're in-love with me, huh?"

His voice was smug and his grin was teasing. I rolled my eyes.

"'Sort-of'," I corrected him, "Or, didn't you hear that while you were eavesdropping?"

His grin only widened.

"It's all the same to me," he said, leaning-in slowly until my back met the headboard and I couldn't back-up anymore, "Sort-of, kind-of, just a little—it's still a good start."

His lips closed the distance between us then, and he kissed me on my bed, inside of my bedroom where I realized no other guy ever had.

"I'm in-love with you too, you know," he said the words easily as he pulled back, "I have been for a while."

I swallowed at the intense sincerity in his eyes and I felt scared, terrified almost. I knew how quickly things could change and render those words meaningless, but as I stared into his dark brown eyes…I was willing to take the risk. I was self-destructive in that way.

"Just promise me," I began as I held his gaze, "When you imprint—Please don't let it be on another member of my family, and also, please move as far away from Washington as possible. You should definitely consider Florida; preferably, Miami."

Jacob shook his head at that and gave a heavy sigh.

"This imprinting thing is always going to be hanging over us, isn't it?"

I nodded and then looked away from him, realizing that it wouldn't be the only thing.

"Between _that_, the pack, and the chance of your memories coming back," I blew out a frustrated breath of air, "There's a lot of reasons why you and me, together, is a bad idea."

Jacob shook his head and then leaned-in closer as he stared hard into my eyes.

"Nothing I might have forgotten could change the way I feel about you. And, the pack," Jacob gave a careless laugh, "I thought you liked making them uncomfortable!"

I shrugged my shoulders at that.

"I do," I admitted with a nod, "But, I don't want them to make _you_ uncomfortable."

Jacob grinned and then wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tight against his warm, solid chest.

"Don't worry about me," his voice was consoling, "In fact—stop worrying at all!"

Jacob quickly pulled his arms back and then stood to his feet.

"We should do something fun."

I looked up at him with one raised eyebrow and a screwed up face. There wasn't exactly a wide array of "fun" things to do in La Push.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked, skeptically.

Jacob thought for a moment as his face took-on a very contemplative look and then he shrugged his shoulders. His eyes looked to mine for a suggestion then, and I looked away as I thought about it. There was only one _fun_ activity that I could think of that didn't involve kissing or touching.

"We could go cliff diving," I offered and Jacob quirked an eyebrow.

"It's kind-of the wrong season for that, isn't it?"

I rolled my eyes at his ignorance and then stood to my feet so I could roughly shove him backwards on to the bed. Jacob chuckled as he fell on to the mattress, and then, before I even knew what hit me—he tripped me with his leg and I fell beside him with a _shriek_!

"Jerk!" I shouted as I playfully elbowed his side, "And, sure! It's the wrong season for normal people, but we aren't normal, are we?"

Jacob gave a laugh and then turned over onto his side.

"Okay," he agreed as he propped his head on his arm and gazed down at me, "Cliff diving it is."

His smile was irresistible and I was tempted to just stay here in bed with him, but I knew that my mom would prefer that we didn't. I didn't have anything to _lose_ that I hadn't already, but I was under her roof, and it was just the principle of the thing…

"Jacob," I said his name as I turned over on my side to look him straight in the eyes, "I hate to bust-up this moment that we're having, but I really should change clothes before we go."

Jacob looked me over, taking in the lone oversized-shirt that covered me, and then he suggestively wiggled his eyebrows.

"Need help?"

I groaned loudly at that and then climbed off the bed. Jacob laughed, rolling over onto his back in amusement and I glared at him from where I stood.

"Okay, okay," he said mirthfully as he held his hands up in surrender and then rose from the bed, "I'm going."

I crossed my arms over my chest as he stood before me, looking over my face with twinkling eyes. My lips parted to question him, but his hand seized my chin, pulling me across the distance between us as if I had floated there, and then his warm lips pressed firmly to mine, just one.

"I'll wait for you outside," Jacob breathed as he pulled away and I had to remind myself to do the same. _Breathe_.

I only nodded as I watched him walk away and then pull the door shut behind him. My lungs slowly resumed their normal breathing routine then and I remember that I was supposed to do something. _Change clothes._

"Oh."

My eyes roamed over my room for something quick to slip-on but they were distracted by the light pouring through the window. The view of outside promised a storm-less day with a lightly clouded blue sky and I was thankful for it as I snagged-up a tank top and a pair of shorts. It was perfect cliff-diving weather.

.

* * *

.

"Yeah—I don't remember this," Jacob said, sounding a little apprehensive as he stood at the edge of the tallest cliff and gazed down at the water far below.

I glanced up at him as I pulled down my shorts to place them next to my discarded tank top, revealing my white bra and panties. I rolled my eyes at the way he slowly crept closer to the edge.

"Chicken."

I taunted him and he turned his head to glare at me, all amusement gone from his face, but then, his eyes widened. Jacob gulped as his eyes trailed over my body and I tried my best to bit-back a smile. It had been a long time since a guy had gawked at me in the way guys tend to gawk at hot girls. It made me feel HOT, and not at all like the post-menopausal woman that I had become. Jacob still gawked. I laughed and it almost sounded like a giggle.

"Well," I said as I put my hands on my hips to look him over, "Are you diving-in like that?"

Jacob blinked at my words and then a grin spread across his face as he realized that he was still wearing all of his clothes. Quickly, Jacob lifted his shirt over his head, causing the muscles of his torso to flex with his movement as he let his shirt drop to his feet. I took-in a sharp intake of breath as he unbuttoned his cut-offs to slid them off. A pair of black boxer shorts sat low on his hips then and he carelessly kicked his discarded clothes into a pile.

"Better?" he asked as a corner of his mouth curved-up with smugness.

I didn't scoff at his smugness; I was too awestruck by the sight of him standing half-naked at the top of a cliff with nothing but sky to his back. The contrast of his russet skin in front of the blue backdrop of the sky was more like a scene from some dreamed-up fantasy than any reality I had ever known. Jacob looked the stuff of dreams...but I didn't want thoughts like that, or my staring, to feed his ego.

"Better than what?" I asked sharply, "Swimming in your clothes?"

I rolled my eyes, "If I say 'yes'—you'll think it's because I'm enjoying the view and you'll be too proud of yourself. If I say 'no'—you'll drop your boxers and try skinny-dipping."

Jacob snorted.

"You _are_ enjoying the view, and," he paused to move his hands to the waistband of his boxers, "skinny-dipping is still an option—but you go first."

His grin was teasing, and even though my arms had crossed and my mouth had pursed—my eyes couldn't hide their amusement.

"Dream on," I said, waving him off as I walked over to the edge of the cliff.

Jacob and I stood side-by-side as we gazed down at the waves that rhythmically lapped at the rocks. The water was calmer than it usually was and the sky showed no signs of an approaching storm. The weather was perfect.

"How cold do you think the water is?" Jacob asked.

I sighed in annoyance at his question and then felt tempted to push him over the cliff just so he could find out.

"Not cold enough to bother _us_," I replied as I shot him a look, "One-oh-eight-point-nine, remember?"

Jacob gave a laugh as he stared-out across the sea.

"Right. I keep forgetting. But, still," he paused as he looked over to meet my gaze, "That water's got to be at least 30 degrees."

I carelessly shrugged my shoulders.

"So you might freeze your boxers off," I shrugged again, "Big deal!"

Jacob's smile coaxed a smile out of me and I stared into his eyes, suddenly wondering how we ever got here. _How did I ever fall for Rachel and Rebecca Black's younger brother? _I looked away from him as I stared out across the sea to the horizon where sky met water. If someone had told me five months ago that I would have traded places with Bella Swan in Jacob's heart—I would have laughed in their face and then asked them what they'd been smoking. It had happened very fast, so fast that my head was still spinning over it and my palms still got sweaty...then again...maybe that was just because my hand was suddenly enveloped in heat. I glanced down to see that Jacob's hand was wrapped around mine and I followed it up his arm to his face where I was greeted with a warm smile.

"Are we still jumping?" he asked, his eyes twinkling as he looked into mine.

I smiled at him and then adjusted my hand under his grasp until my fingers were interlaced with his.

"Yes, let's get a running start."

With his fingers still entwined with mine, I turned around and pulled him with me as I walked a good distance away from the edge. We could no longer see the water from where we stood. The blue sky and the rocky ledge was all that laid before us. I looked up at Jacob and he looked down at me with uncertainty on his face. I almost laughed at him but I decided to be nice. He had amnesia, after all. He didn't remember things like jumping off of massive cliffs into freezing cold water.

"Ready?" I asked and he took a deep breath as he looked forward to the drop that awaited us.

"Sure, sure."

I smiled at his response and then began to swing our clasped hands back and forth, working up some momentum before my feet kicked off of the ground and started running. My eyes focused on the cliffs edge and then with one last swing of our hands—my foot pushed off of the ground and I ran forward with Jacob running beside me. His hand tightened around mine as we reached the edge and threw our bodies forward as if we were birds taking flight. We both yelled-out, me with excitement and Jacob with panic, as we started our free fall. The wind rushed past my face as I sliced threw it, dropping like a bomb towards the water below. I let go of Jacob's hand in that final moment, stretching-out my arms over my head before my body hit the water. At last, with a gulp of air, my pointed fingers pierced through the cold water as I plunged far below its surface. The combination of the force at which I had hit the water and its icy coldness, stabbed at my skin like a million tiny knifes, but my body quickly adjusted. I didn't realize until I began swimming for the surface just how deep I had dove. Bubbles escaped from my nose as I let-out my held breath and I wondered if Jacob had already resurfaced. I gasped for breath, smiling with satisfaction as my head bobbed out of the water, and Jacob was there.

"Thanks for the heads up," he said facetiously as his hand massaged at his chest.

"Heads up about what?" I asked, rubbing water from eyes as I noticed that the russet color of his chest was a bit redder than usual.

"About the part where I let-go of your hand and assume the diving position."

I stared at him for a moment as we both bobbed up and down with the push of the water. Apparently, Jacob had done a belly-flop. I laughed.

"That's why it's called cliff 'DIVING', idiot!"

I splashed water in his face and then quickly dove under before he had a chance to catch me—but I wasn't quick enough. Jacob's hand grabbed one of my kicking feet and he pulled me back towards him. I didn't fight him off as he wrapped his arms around me, holding me against him as we moved our legs to stay afloat.

"Let's go for round two," he suggested as he raised-up a hand to push a wet strand of hair out of my face, "I won't make the same mistake this time."

I examined his face, noting how the wet strands of his hair hung at the sides and the longer strands clung to his neck. I felt no urge to smooth it back; I didn't feel like moving at all. The water that surrounded us had quickly warmed from the combined heat radiating from our bodies, and yet the cold water still diluted some of that heat. It made the close proximity to Jacob absolutely irresistible and I didn't want to leave the water. Unfortunately, Jacob did. I gave a heavy sigh as I acknowledged the excitement that was blazing in his eyes at the prospect of jumping again. Giving up my own moment of bliss, I smiled at his enthusiasm and then pulled out of his grasp.

"Race you to the shore!" I challenged as I dove under the water kicking my legs and stroking my arms in the attempt to beat him.

Jacob was a stronger swimmer than I had anticipated, especially, considering how he had belly-flopped on to the ocean. I felt the ripples of his moment as he passed me in the water and my head surfaced to see him breast stroking like an Olympic medalist. I grunted in frustration at the fact that he was beating me. No one ever beat me in a race! I gave up trying to swim faster as Jacob reached shallow water and then trudged through the sea on foot.

"I promise not to gloat about beating you," he said with a chuckle as he stopped to look back at me.

I rolled my eyes as I came into water I could stand in.

"Gloat all you want," I said carelessly, "I can beat you on land, any day!"

Jacob grinned at that and then turned back around as he waded through the knee-deep water, splashing as he kicked it out of his way. I watched as his head slowly turned from side-to-side as he scanned the beach, looking over the scenery as he took his last step out of the ocean. The moment Jacob's feet touched dry sand, something changed, and he came to a sudden halt as he stared down at the sand below his feet. The muscles of his back visibly tensed as he stood on the shore with his head bowed to his feet. Foreboding came over me as I watched him, and as quick as I could move through the hip-deep water, I trudged towards him.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I ran on to the shore.

Jacob turned around to look at me and the moment I saw his eyes I just knew it had something to do with his memory.

"Déjà vu," he replied, confirming my suspicion.

Jacob smiled at the fear that was hiding behind my eyes and then he shrugged his shoulders.

"It's nothing," he said as he glanced up at the cliffs that were only a few feet away, "I've been to First Beach hundreds of times."

My eyes followed his gaze up and I relaxed, giving a sigh of relief. Jacob was right. He had been on this beach countless times—we all had. It was no surprise to me that it seemed familiar to him, but as he looked away from the cliffs and back down into my eyes, I suddenly felt doubt. His eyes seemed to be hiding something as if his déjà vu hadn't just been about the beach. My lips parted to question him, but the sound of approach had the both of us turning towards the trees and I let my doubts go.

"There you are!" Jared called out as he walked through the tree line with Seth trudging behind him.

My eyes narrowed at the strangeness of the two of them together and I crossed my arms over my chest as they walked across the rocky part of the beach that separated us from them.

"Been looking for the two of you," Jared added as he came to a stop in front of us.

"Oh, yeah?" Jacob was quick to reply, "Why's that?"

I noticed how Seth tried not to make eye contact as he kept his gaze focused on the ground. Whether he was disgusted at the sight of me and Jacob together—in our underwear—or whether he just didn't want me to see his eyes, I wasn't sure, but either way, I was suspicious.

"Well, as you know," Jared began and he seemed to stand a little taller, "Sam left me in-charge for the day—"

"Pfft!" I scoffed loudly at Jared's 'high and mighty' attitude before giving a laugh.

"_Alpha for a day. Big stinking deal!" _I thought as he shot me a dark look.

But, before I could start a full-on glaring-competition with him, Jacob intervened.

"Yeah?" Jacob said as his eyes fixed on Jared, "You were saying?"

Jared averted his eyes away from me and turned to Jacob.

"I want you, Seth and Leah to go relieve the Cullen's of their watch and then take the first patrol—The three of you are better at dealing with those leeches than the rest of us."

I glared at Jared as more suspicion filled me. _He wants me and Jacob to patrol together? _It was out of character that any member of the pack would want me and Jacob doing ANYTHING together! My eyes zeroed-in on Seth, questioningly, but he was quick to look away. Again, I didn't know whether he was hiding something, or if the idea of sharing the same headspace with the two of us just disgusted him.

"So, you think that being," Jacob paused to make air-quotes with his fingers, "'The Back-up Alpha' means that you get to delegate who does the dirty work."

Jacob looked my way with a smirk on his face before looking back at Jared.

"What would you do to me if I refuse?" Jacob challenged as he crossed his strong arms over his bare chest.

Jacob was easily taller than Jared, and his arms were bigger too. Jared wouldn't have a shot at beating him in a wrestling match, and he knew it. Jared sighed.

"Fine," he spoke calmly as he gave a careless shrug of his shoulders, "I guess I'll just go with Paul and Embry, then. And maybe, while we're there, Paul will get pissed-off at one of the leeches, rip it apart, and then we'll have started World War III."

Jacob snorted.

"If that mind-reading one is anywhere around—he'll have the others cleared-out before you get there."

I nodded in agreement. It was true. Never-the-less, the whole point of relieving the Cullen's of their watch was to ask if there had been any black-cloaked vampires snooping around during the wedding. I stared off towards the ocean then, watching as the waves washed on to shore as I remembered that there was a lot more going on then just...Jacob and I.

"Okay," I nearly grumbled, "We'll go."

Better that I was with him than without him, I figured. Besides, as long as the pack was tolerant of our relationship, I could be tolerant of their orders. I looked away from the ocean waves then, to find that 3 pairs of eyes were on me. Jacob and Seth had confusion on their faces, while Jared looked pleased. My eyes narrowed as I focused on his face, noting the twinkle in his eye and the way the corners of his mouth tried not to curve-up. There was almost something mischievous about it, but I decided he was probably just glad that he was getting what he wanted. I rolled my eyes.

"Come on," I said as I looked at Jacob, "Let's get this over with."

Jared smiled as Jacob and I headed for the trees, and then he whipped-out his cell phone to send a quick text message. Something was fishy about the whole situation, but if Jared was lying about something…he was good at it. I could still hear his thumbs hitting the keypad on his phone as he and Seth followed behind us. We were all quiet until—a moment later—a familiar ringtone went-off inside someone's pocket. I stopped in my tracks and turned around to look at Seth. He looked sort-of annoyed as he dug his hand into his pocket for the ringing phone.

"Hello," he answered, reluctantly.

The voice on the other end of the line was distinctly female, and as the voice spoke again I realized that it was distinctly…mom.

"Okay," Seth spoke into the phone as he glanced up at me and then glanced away, "I will, mom—Bye."

Seth sighed loudly and then shoved the phone back into his pocket. I put my hands on my hips as I looked at him, expectantly, with narrowed eyes.

"WHAT?"

"Mom wants you and me to come home," he replied as he looked up, "Charlie's coming over for dinner."

I frowned at that. Breakfast was one thing, but now…now she wanted us all to eat dinner together…like what? A family? I cringed at the thought of what it would mean if my mom actually married Charlie. My mom would then be "Sue Swan" and Bella Swan would be my step-sister! This whole "be-happy-for-her" thing was going to be harder than I thought...

"Damn." Jared's voice startled me with a jolt and my eyes flashed in his direction. His forehead was wrinkled in thought as he, no doubt, tried to come up with a plan B.

"As long as one of you goes—I guess that's all that matters."

I glared at Jared, then. He had already had Seth, the Vampire whisper, with him when he showed up! If he only needed _one_ of us to meet with the Cullen's, there was no _one_ better than Seth for that Job! I clenched my fists tight and then crossed them over my chest. Jared had just come to interrupt me and Jacob! The rest of the pack had probably planned this intrusion! I felt myself start to shake with anger as my eyes seared into Jared.

"It's alright, Leah," Jacob said as he quickly threw an arm around my shoulders, "I can handle them."

My shaking subsided as I looked-up at Jacob's face and realized that his words held a double meaning. Could he handle the Cullen's? Or, could he handle the pack? Jacob looked at Jared pointedly as if he knew the real reason why Jared had come.

"Good," Jared replied as he held Jacob's gaze, "Let's phase and get on with it, then."

My lip curled up at Jared and I shrugged-off Jacob's arm as I opened my mouth to tell Jared off.

"YOU LI—"

My mouth was quickly silenced by a pair of hot lips that pressed firmly to mine, causing my eyes to widen. I could hear Jared and Seth uttered their disgust and I went shock-still as I realized that Jacob had kissed me in front of them.

"It's alright," he said as he pulled back to look me in the eye, "You worry too much."

His smile was smug as his eyes examined my face, totally oblivious to the gagging sounds coming from Jared and Seth. But, then again, maybe he wasn't…maybe he was hoping for that reaction!

"Come on, Jared," he called as he turned to walk away, "You haven't seen anything yet. Wait til' you get the play-back of last night from MY point-of-view."

Jared visibly winced at that and my skin heated up—partly from anger, but mostly from embarrassment. Jacob liked to push people's buttons. I thought it was just a characteristic that he had picked-up sometime after meeting Bella Swan, but I guess he'd had it all along. I watched as the two of them, each, disappeared behind a tree to phase, and then I turned to glare at Seth.

"What's this crap about going to 'relieve the Cullen's'?"

Seth rolled his eyes at me and then took off running. My jaw dropped as I watched him phase without even stopping to take off his clothes. The shredded remains fell to the forest floor as the sandy-colored wolf ran towards the direction of home. My eyes narrowed as I watched him disappear through the trees. Seth had NEVER went to such great lengths to avoid me...and he sure wasn't going to get away with it now! I glared at the place where I had last seen my brother and then I followed after him on two legs.

.

* * *

.

"Leah? Is that you?" My mom called from the kitchen as I walked through the front door.

She sounded surprised that I had come home. It instantly mad me suspicious and my mind was quick to blame Seth. My mom's foot steps headed closer to me as I walked towards the doorway that led into the kitchen.

"I thought you were going to be with Jacob all day," she called out and I angrily ground my teeth at her assumption, " I thought you—"

Her words broke-off as she walked through the doorway and froze at the sight of me.

"Leah! Where are your clothes? "

"Where's Seth?" I nearly growled-out the words as I moved past my mom, ignoring her as I set a course for Seth's room. Charlie glanced up at me as I passed the living room and then quickly glanced away with wide eyes. Seth had lied! I was going to kill him! I could hear music coming from behind the door as I turned the knob and pushed it hard enough that it banged against the wall. Seth shot me a look from his place in front of his dresser and then he pulled a shirt down over his head.

"Mom didn't _know _I was coming home!" I hissed as I took a step towards him, "What the hell are you and those other morons trying to pull?"

Seth sighed as he pushed his dresser drawer shut.

"They just wanted to get Jacob alone to talk," he muttered before glancing up at me.

"Bull! They just want to talk him _out_ of something. That's what you really mean! And, what does mom have to do with this?"

Seth turned his back to the dresser and then leaned against it.

"Nothing," he said, "Mom called Jared looking for me while I was patrolling with the other guys, and he told her that he'd text her as soon as I phased back. Then, all the guys sort-of formed this...plan."

_A plan? _My eyebrows lowered at that and I wondered if this was pay-back for the infamous plan I had come-up with. Jacob had been in the middle of enough planning and scheming as it was! I wasn't going to allow it to continue.

"I'll deal with YOU later," I spat before turning to leave his room.

I walked out of the room then and nearly knocked into my mom. She stood in the middle of the hallway as impenetrable as a concrete barrier.

"Go get dressed," she said calmly, yet deathly serious.

I groaned as she crossed her arms over her chest and challenged me with her no-nonsense eyes.

"Mom, I have to leave! Those idiots are trying to manipulate Jacob into avoiding me, or WORSE—hating me!"

"You are not leaving this house wearing your underwear."

I threw my hands up in the air.

"Fine! I'll go put on some clothes. Geez! What does it matter anyway? Half the population of La Push has already seen me naked!"

My mom's eyes went wide as she glanced over her shoulder towards the direction of Charlie and I swore I saw her cheeks turn red.

"You're not going anywhere," she said with finality, "Now go get dressed!"

"UGH!" I groaned loudly before stomping off towards my room.

I could hear my mom apologizing to Charlie, and in response he muttered something about "the mystery of teenage girls". A scowl formed on my face as I plopped down on the edge of my mattress. I was neither mysterious, nor was a teenager. I was 20 years old, and I had NOTHING in common with the only other "teenage girl" that Charlie Swan had ever known. I glanced up at the wall where a window hung, and momentarily, I considered climbing out of it but I knew it was best that I didn't push my mom's limits anymore than I already had. I stood to my feet then and walked towards the closet. I could hear Seth moving around inside of the room next to mine and I knew he could hear me too. I rolled my eyes at the fact that he had successfully fooled me and I decided to let him off the hook this one time.

"Was there any truth to the part about about meeting the Cullen's?" I asked in a normal tone of voice as I faced the wall that separated my room from his.

There was a rustling sound and then the music coming from his room was turned off.

"Not really," Seth replied in a normal tone of voice, "I checked-in with them this morning—no vampire sightings."

I pursed my lips.

"Freakin' Jared."

If only I had known that Jared was such a talented schemer I could have used his help during my own scheme, but that was all history now. Through the wall, I could feel Seth's presence draw closer and then there was a quiet _thud_ against the Sheetrock as if he was leaning against it. I did the same thing, pressing my back against the same spot on the wall, and then I slid down it until I was sitting on the ground.

"Sorry, Leah." Seth quietly apologized but I didn't say anything in response.

I knew that, partly, he had been peer-pressured into going along with the other morons, and, I also knew that he wasn't that sorry about it.

"What if I didn't go home with you? What would Jared have done then?"

Seth was silent on the other side of the wall as I imagined that he was sitting on his floor with his back pressed to the same spot as mine.

"I don't know," he replied, "I don't think he thought that far ahead."

I gave a frustrated sigh. Apparently my pack brothers didn't need a plan B—they figured I was stupid enough to fall for their plan A. They had been right.

"Seth," I said his name as I stared down at the carpet underneath me, running my fingertips over the thick fibers.

"Yeah?"

I took a deep breath.

"I'm sort of in-love with Jacob."

Seth was silent for a moment and then I felt him pull away from the wall as he stood to his feet.

"I know."


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Monday, November 13, 2006

"Sam changed the patrol shifts," Seth informed me as he walked into the kitchen, fully dressed, and sounding too chipper for my half-asleep ears.

I groaned at his news and then spooned another bite of cereal into my mouth. I'd never been very good with "change" especially when Sam was the cause of it.

"He's done honeymooning, huh?"

I shook my head and gave a dry laugh.

"Sam used to have more stamina then that."

Seth grimaced. I watched as a shudder went through him that shook the backpack that was slung over one shoulder. He was about to leave for school just like the rest of the morons in the pack would be. I stared down at my bowl of cereal, zoning out as I wondered if Jacob would come over after school, or, at the very least, call me?

"Anyway," Seth's voice started again, "I went to check-in with Sam while he was patrolling this morning and he told me to pass on the message…"

Seth rambled on about who had what shift, but I didn't listen. I thought about Jacob, wondering how he would survive school... _Would those scheming jerks be able to come-up with just the right words to turn him against me? Or, had they already?_ I opened my mouth to ask Seth about it, but realized that he was still talking.

"Oh!" he said, holding a finger up as if he had just remembered something, "You're taking Sam's shift, starting tomorrow."

"WHAT?" I spat as my spoon fell from my hand and splashed into my bowl of cereal.

Sam patrolled alone! He never let any of us patrol alone—especially not while there was a cult of leeches out to get us! My eyes searched Seth's face, pressing him to explain and he blew out a frustrated breath of air.

"Yeah," he affirmed, nodding his head, "Sam said that he would be on standby, and that if you sense any vampires—all you have to do is howl."

My eyes narrowed into such thin, little slits that I could hardly see. They wanted _me_ to patrol alone. Me. Just me. Not anyone else.

"This is about Jacob and I, isn't it?" I asked as I stood-up from the kitchen table, "It's because of Jared and the rest of those creeps!"

I kicked my chair back, causing it to squeal against the linoleum as I marched away from the table.

"Where are you going?" Seth called after me as I moved past him and then out of the kitchen.

"I'm going to have a little pow-wow with our pack brothers!"

"WAIT!" he yelled-out with such enthusiasm that I stopped walking and turned to face him.

"Don't you think it would be better if you waited until _after _school?" he asked before stopping to look me over, "Also, it'd probably be a good idea to get dressed. Mom'll bust a vein if she hears that you were at the school, wearing just a t-shirt."

I looked down to examine myself, and then, with a loud groan, I trudged-off to my room.

.

**Several Hours Later**

.

The tree across the street provided good cover as I stood underneath it, concealing myself in shadow as I watched the band of morons walk out of the school doors. There were 6 of them—minus the one girl who's shoulders served as an armrest for Jared—but none of them had spotted me yet. I crossed my arms over my chest as I glared at their carefree, smiling faces, but a sinister grin crept across my own face as I planned to ruin their mirth. They all thought that "school" was the one place they'd never have to worry about running into me again. I gave a dry laugh as I walked towards the school. They were wrong.

"Shit!" I heard one of them utter under their breath as I neared them, "Leah's here."

The ones who had their back to me, turned around, and then, I was assaulted by 6 pairs of eyes. I met each pair of narrowed eyes before taking-in my surroundings. Clustered around the school in small groups, were some of the other children—the normal-sized Quileute kids who looked like ants in comparison to these beefed-up jerks—and the normal-sized kids were careful to ignore us. I put my hands on my hips as I came to a stop in front my pack brothers. They were a hostile looking group, but my hostility trumped theirs.

"Goodbye, Kim."

My words were an order as my eyes raked over the dark glares I was getting. Jared's glare was darkest of all as Kim slid-out from underneath his arm.

"Be nice," she told him as she rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek but it didn't faze the glare he was giving me.

Kim flashed me a small smile before turning to leave and I smirked at Jared.

"See," I taunted him as I nodded my head in Kim's direction, "It sucks to be interrupted, doesn't it?"

Understanding registered on his face as if he hadn't known why I had come, and then, he looked me hard in the eyes.

"It's for your own good, Leah."

My arms dropped from my hips and a blaze of heat shot down my spine as my body started to shake. _Keeping Jacob away from me is for MY own good? _The shaking intensified and I watched as 6 pairs of eyes widened as they stared at me. My pack brothers stiffened for a moment until they recognized the possibility that I could phase—right then, right there—in public!

"Leah!" they all shouted my name in-panic as they crowded around me and then tried to push me in the direction of the trees.

I slapped their hands away so hard that they recoiled and my shaking calmed a little from being able to, at least, hit something.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO DECIDE WHAT'S GOOD FOR ME?" I shouted loud enough that the normal-sized kids—who were trying so hard to ignore us—gawked, "IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS WHO I CHOOSE TO BE WITH!"

They were silent as my eyes raked over them, but then, one of them made a move...

"That's what I'VE been telling them!" Quil defended himself as he shouldered past Paul and Jared to stand in front of me.

"Yeah," Embry agreed as he pushed Jared aside to stand next to Quil, "Jake has the right to date whoever he wants!"

I winced slightly at the word "date", but my angry shakes subsided as I looked between Jacob's two best friends and realized that, maybe, they weren't quite so moronic, after all.

"Shut-up!" Paul snarled at the two of them, "It doesn't change the fact that those were our orders!"

"Orders?" My eyebrows lowered as I repeated the word and then glanced at all of their faces.

"Dick!" Quil yelled as he roughly gave Paul a shove, and the rest of the boys spat similar slurs at him.

Even Brady and Colin were cussing under their breath at the mention of their "orders". Paul shoved Quil back then, and crossed his arms over his chest as he glared down at the grass.

"WHAT 'orders'?" I demanded to know as I glanced from Paul to Quil to Jared.

The entire pack averted their eyes to the ground as if they were afraid to say, or as if they had been "willed" not to say. I shook my head at them. _Did they think I was stupid?_

"What _exactly_ did the Sam say?"

I crossed my arms over my chest as I glared at each and every one of their bent heads. They all seemed to sigh, simultaneously, as if they were one entity, and they kept staring downward.

"He said," Quil's voice spoke slowly as he raised his head to look at me, "That dating someone within the pack is an unnecessary distraction and it's unacceptable."

I winced at the word "dating", but the other words had my fists clenching tight under my cross-armed stance, so tight that my fingernails nearly broke through the skin on my palms. _Sam told Jacob that our relationship was unacceptable._.. My eyes glanced between Quil and Embry then as I wondered if they knew how Jacob was taking it. I couldn't help but to think of Jacob and wonder—worry—if he had decided to follow Sam's orders.

"What—" my voice cracked and I cleared my throat before speaking again, "What did Jacob say about that? I mean, he didn't agree, did he? He argued, right? Or, did he—"

I stopped speaking when I noticed the amused expressions that were forming on each of their faces. I could almost imagine them chanting: "Leah and Jacob sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

"Don't worry," Quil answered with an impish grin on his face, "It took an alpha command to make Jake stand down."

Heat trailed-up my spine at that news, and I had to work quickly to calm myself down, taking-in deep breaths. _Sam had used an alpha command on Jacob! _I ground my teeth together as I made a plan to use my anger for something more constructive than phasing in the schoolyard—something like breaking appendages. I opened my mouth to say as much, but through the corner of my eye I saw movement at the school doors. Jacob and Seth weren't aware of us yet as they exited the building, talking about something that made Jacob smile. The sight of him made me realize what I had to do then, and my eyes quickly flashed back to the boys in front of me.

"When I'm done with Sam," I spat as I gave then a sharp look, "The rest of you are going to butt-the-hell-out!"

With that, I ran back across the street and into the trees where I hoped I had been quick enough to go unnoticed by Jacob. I needed to speak with the Alpha...alone.

.

* * *

.

He was waiting on the porch before I even stepped foot onto his yard. It was a wolf thing, but I also knew that Sam could sense me coming from greater distances than he could the others. I suspected it had something to do with our past intimacy.

"Leah..." his voice was full of warning as he came down the porch steps and I advanced on him, marching forwards with long purposeful steps.

"Don't Leah-me!" I hissed as I pushed my arms out and shoved him backwards, "Don't say anything unless I ask you to!"

I could tell by the guilty look in his eyes that Sam knew just why I had come. He blew out a frustrated breath of air, then, and held his hands out as if he wanted to explain.

"Leah, it was—"

"WHAT DID I JUST SAY?" I shouted as I shoved him again, causing him to stumble backwards, "You think because you're the Alpha that you can give orders, but you don't know how to take them!"

Sam's chest was heaving as he glared at me, causing a scowl to form on his face that made him look much older, but he didn't say another word. I glared back at him and the anger and tension between us was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"You have NO right to interfere in MY love life, Sam! What's going on between me and Jacob in none of your damn business!"

Sam shook his head in disagreement.

"It is my business!" he argued, "Those vampires could bring a fight to our doorsteps, any day! I need you and Jacob to have your heads in gear—not up in the clouds! How can I trust that the two of you will be alright to fight alongside one another when having a relationship with him is just too much of a distraction?"

My teeth ground together and my fists clenched tight at my sides as I felt this aching desire to swing one at his face.

"Our relationship is no more of a distraction than YOURS, or any of the other morons who imprinted! But, if this was all just about battle tactics, why didn't you call me to a pack meeting? HUH?" I demanded as I gave him a hard shove, sending him another step back towards his house, "Why did you have to send-in your cronies to get Jacob away from me?"

Sam raised-up a hand to bat mine away as I went to shove him again, and my eyes seared-over his face with such hatred that it felt like a fire was burning inside of my sockets. He held both of his hands raised-up in front of him to block anymore shoves I might give him, and I noticed, then, that we weren't alone. Emily stood behind the screen door with a worried look on her face, and the sight of her made my lip curl. _I had as much right to be with someone as Sam did!_ I looked back to his face then, and his was worn with a new kind of hardness as he stared past me. I turned around to see what it was just as Jacob walked through the trees and came to a stop once our eyes met. I knew then that this wasn't just about "battle tactics"! I turned on Sam.

"You just can't stand it, CAN YOU?" I spat as I shoved his blocking hands away, "You can't stand to see me with someone else! You can't stand to see me NOT sulking over you! Admit it!"

I shoved at his hands, so hard, that he took another stumble back.

"Lee-Lee," he pleaded and the sound of the nickname caused angry flames to shoot-down my spine, "That's not true."

Emily moved onto the porch as my fists started to shake, but I didn't take my eyes off of Sam.

"He's not good for you, Leah!" he exclaimed and I huffed-out an angry breath as my body went into convulsions from my barely contained need to attack him.

"He can imprint at anytime!" he yelled, "He'll hurt you!"

A not so human growl escaped through my clenched teeth as I pulled my fist back and then sent it flying at Sam's face with enough force that I heard a crack!

"No," I hissed as I watched his hands cup his nose, "You're the only one who gets to do that!"

Emily rushed to Sam's side as I looked down at my own fist in wonder. I ignored the pain coming from my red knuckles as my shaking subsided and my anger was replaced by a powerful sense of pleasure. My chest swelled-up with an air of pride as Sam readjusted his nose and then wiped away the blood with the back of his hand. I felt the most incredible relief! A weight had been lifted, the clouds had parted, and for the first time I felt like I had finally got some justice. _Why hadn't I punched Sam sooner?_

"Leah," he said with a huff as his hand pinched the bridge of his nose, "You—"

"Shut UP, Sam!" I ordered him, feeling so empowered that I felt like I could rule the world, "You've ruined a lot of things for me, but you are NOT going to ruin this! Stay out of it, or I'll break something else!"

Sam let out a heavy sigh that sounded like one of defeat, while Emily looked at me as if she didn't know _who_ she was looking at. I made a move to leave, but then, realized there was something I had nearly forgotten.

"Oh, and one more thing," I said and it caught Sam's attention, "You should tell the other morons not to change their patrolling schedule because I sure as hell will NOT be changing mine!"

With that, I took in a deep satisfying breath and then proudly turned my back on them. Adrenalin was still pumping through my veins from having punched Sam and as I walked towards Jacob my heart started pumping for other reasons. A grin broke-out across my face as my eyes met his and I saw in them that nothing anyone had said to him had changed his feelings. I found myself running—not walking—across the distance that separated us, and with the same spirit that had filled me after punching Sam, I leaped at Jacob with open arms. He caught me easily, wrapping his arms tight around me so that my feet were hanging above the ground, and then I kissed him. His lips turned into a smile underneath mine and I could feel a chuckle rumble inside of his chest.

"Wow." he said as he pulled away from me with a grin on his face, "It hasn't even been one-whole-day and you already missed me!"

I rolled my eyes at his words as he put me back on my feet.

"I've been worried," I admitted as stared-up at his face.

Jacob shook his head at that and then made _tisking_ sounds, "I told you to stop worrying."

"I know," I said with a nod, "But, it's sort of hard not to worry when everyone's trying to sabotage us."

"Not _everyone_," Jacob replied as he looked off at something over my head, "Not anymore, at least. I think Sam values his bones too much to risk pissing you off again."

I turned around and looked to the last place where I had seen Sam, but he had moved. He was following Emily back up the porch steps that lead to their house, his posture was straight and his shoulders were rolled back as if having just been punched by his ex didn't affected his confidence. My eyes stayed on him as he opened the screen door, and as if he could feel them he turned around to meet my gaze. Sam nodded at me, then. It was a nod of acceptance, but I made no responding gesture and my expression didn't even flinch. I didn't need his approval. Sam disappeared inside of the house then, and I continued to stare at it until I felt a hot hand on my shoulder.

"How's your hand?" Jacob asked as I turned around to face him.

I glanced down at my knuckles. They were no longer red and the stinging sensation had gone away.

"Good," I replied with a smile as I thought of punching Sam, "Seriously, my fist has never felt this good!"

Jacob chuckled and threw an arm around my shoulders as he steered us away from the Uley's house.

"So, is it official, then?" he asked as we walked onward.

I raised an eyebrow as I stared at the side of his face and noticed the smug way his lips had curved-up.

"Is _what _official?"

Jacob's eyes looked down into mine as we walked-off in the direction towards my house, and his smug-smile turned into a grin.

"You and me," he replied, "I mean, do I get to call you my girlfriend, now?"

Jacob's eyes danced, teasingly, as if he knew how much I didn't like labeling things, and he didn't miss how the word "girlfriend" made me shudder. With a roll of my eyes, I reached-up my hand and held the one that he had hanging over my shoulder.

"No," I said as I squeezed his hand and flashed him a playful smile, "You get to call me Leah."


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: This chapter is mostly *fluffy* and sort-of filler-ish. Thanks to everyone who is reading, and thanks to the reviewers! Y'all are great! You're feedback makes me feel all warm and *fluffy* inside! Hee, hee. (=^_^=)  
**

* * *

Chapter 14

November 19, 2006

The ocean waves lapped against us as I pressed my back into the concave of the cliff wall. The rocks were cold and jagged at my back, but Jacob was warm and inviting. His fingers dug into a rock over my head, clinging to it as if he was preparing to climb-up an indoor rock wall, while his other hand clung to me. He held us both above the water that way—neither of us kicking our legs to stay afloat—and I held on to him—occasionally allowing my hands to explore his bare arms and chest as we kissed, or whispered things that no one would have been able to hear even if we had yelled them out. My hands slid from the hard flat planes of his chest around to his back then, and I pressed my palms into him, feeling the sheer strength of his back as his muscles moved under my touch. His broad shoulders and the overall size of him created a warm, russet-colored wall in front of me, while the rock wall at my back had quickly warmed-up from the combined heat of our bodies. The water, too, had adjusted to our temperature as it pooled around us, and we were totally oblivious to the icy, mid-November tide.

"Jacob," I breathed his name as I pulled my lips away from his, "Why do you think you can't remember anything?"

Jacob snorted-out a laugh and buried his face into the crook of my neck.

"Didn't we cover this topic with Dr. Fang, already?" he whispered as his nose skimmed-up my neck before his lips pressed to my cheek.

A smile formed on my face at the sweet caress, but I pulled away from him so I could see his eyes. They were heavy-lidded and over-occupied with studying the features of my face as his eyes darted towards my lips. Jacob couldn't care less about talking about the things he couldn't remember, but I did.

"_Dr. Fang_," I mocked the nickname, "Only knows what he can study, and there isn't exactly a book on werewolf neurology!"

Jacob groaned, apparently frustrated by my mood-killing chatter, and he let go of me, leaving me to sink down into the water before I reached out a hand to cling to the rocks. My heart started from his sudden movement and I glared at him, accusingly. Jacob smiled.

"I'd like to get my hands on a book like that," he said as he floated in the water, ignoring my glare, "Maybe then I'd have some insight on the inner workings of the she-wolf mind."

I rolled my eyes at that. He didn't need a book to figure me out. I was a straight-forward kind of girl! Never-the-less, I couldn't resist the opportunity—his words had presented—to tease him...

"Why? It wouldn't help _you!_" I taunted him as I splashed water in his face, "The only books you can understand are instruction manuals!"

A playful grin formed on my face as Jacob's eyes narrowed, and then, without warning, he came at me like a torpedo shooting through water! His lips were the first part of him to make contact with me as they pressed to mine, pushing me back up against the cliff while both of his arms stretched above my head, clinging to the rocks. His kiss was soft but firm and I found myself returning it with an eagerness that surprised me. His body pressed into me, then, raking up against me in-rhythm with the sudden impassioned movement of his lips, and it felt good. It was as if our mouths were entangled in a passionate dance that his body knew how to move to. My own body instantly reacted, wrapping my arms and legs around him, tightly, as my mind became oblivious to everything, except for my need to keep Jacob pressed against me. The warmth and the hardness of his body pressed to mine turned my rational human mind to mush, and the animal inside of me became restless. My fingers desperately gripped at his hair as we kissed, and then, just as my legs had gotten a tighter holding around his hips, he started pulling away...

"See," Jacob breathed as his lips broke from mine much too soon, "Isn't this better then trying to talk about things that can't be explained?"

My gaze darted between his eyes and his lips, and I gave him a very audible "no" before I pulled his face to mine and went back to kissing him. Jacob let-out a laugh underneath my kiss and it distracted me from my goal of keeping his lips on mine. I pulled away, pouting, and Jacob's warm, brown eyes examined me with a smile.

"I love you," he said the words, easily, and my heart gave a sudden and unexpected start.

My eyes widened as I gaped at how incredibly-easy those words had flowed from his lips, and my arms and legs, limply, unwrapped themselves from around him. I was too thrown-off to respond, and even my body began to sink down into the ocean, unresponsive. Quickly, a big hand caught my arm and pulled my head back up to the surface. Jacob grinned at me and I saw in his eyes that he was totally unaffected and unoffended by my speechlessness. He pulled me against him then, wrapping his arm around my waist as his head dipped to catch my mouth. My ability to respond, it seemed, worked much more efficiently when the response was _physical_—I kissed him back, then, and we gave-up on talking.

The rest of our time in the waters at First Beach, was spent just like that, floating in the ocean until the setting sun made it difficult for us to keep the water warm by ourselves. We walked hand in hand down the beach, then, and Jacob rubbed his thumb over my knuckles as if he was soothing them. I glanced up at him, curiously, wondering what he was thinking as he soothed the hand that I had used to punch Sam.

"You know," I began, "My fist stopped hurting about 5 minutes after hurling it at his face, and that was 6 days ago."

Jacob smirked as he looked down at our joined hands.

"I bet Sam wishes he could say that," he replied, "I think he's still hurting—his pride is, anyway."

I gave a careless shrug of my shoulders and kicked a stone out of the way with my foot.

"Good!"

Jacob chuckled at my response as we continued our stroll down the beach. A few stars were starting to peek out of the navy sky as the sun burned orange—almost red—on the horizon. The red reminded me of the blood I had drawn from Sam's nose and I quickly averted my eyes forward. The trees were far ahead of Jacob and I as we walked towards them, holding hands, but my thoughts weren't about Jacob—my thoughts were about Sam! I sent Jacob an accusing glare, then.

"Great!" I spat and it nearly made him jump, "Now you've got me thinking about him!"

Jacob smirked at the way my eyes were searing into him, and then he released my hand to raise his in surrender.

"Sorry," he said, sheepishly, as he came to a halt and I did too, "I didn't mean to plant a Sam seed in your brain. It's just that—well—me and the rest of the guys just can't get over it! You know?" he asked as he searched my eyes with interest, "I mean—you didn't just punch '_Sam'_, Leah! You punched the Alpha!"

I sighed in annoyance, and then walked-off without him.

"Jacob," I called as I put distance between us, "Either change the subject, or just don't speak at all."

He jogged-up to catch me, and I could feel his anticipation—it radiated off of him like heat from a flame. I rolled my eyes. Jacob, no doubt, had more to say.

"Did Bella really break her hand, punching my face?" he asked as if it was a completely normal question to ask.

My heart stuttered inside my chest for just a moment as I temporarily forgot that I had been the one to tell him about that. I turned around to face the boy who had amnesia, and despite disliking Bella—I decided that it was, after all, the most pleasant memory I had about her.

"Not exactly," I replied, "But from the way your mind replayed her pain-filled cries after hitting you—she might as well have."

Jacob's eyebrows lowered, and he considered my words carefully as if they helped him solve some sort of puzzle. My lips pursed and I looked at him suspiciously.

"Why?"

Jacob shrugged his shoulders.

"Just wondering what it takes to successfully throw a punch at a werewolf. Obviously, normal girls don't make the cut."

I rolled my eyes.

"Consider the source," I grumbled as I thought of Bella Swan, "Claire could probably hit harder than that girl! Bella's not exactly a good representative for the female population."

"No," he said in agreement as his eyes wandered over my face, "You would make a much better candidate."

My eyes narrowed at his choice of words, and Jacob smiled at me, radiating charm like a skillful salesman. _Was he being facetious? Or, was he trying to butter me up?_ I crossed my arms over my chest, creating a no-admittance barrier in between us as I figured, either way, he was trying to change the subject. I didn't care how irresistible his smile was—he had spontaneously brought-up Bella Swan—I wasn't going to let it go that easily!

"Why all-of-a-sudden are we talking about _her_?" I demanded as I raised an eyebrow, "It can't be because you're planning on hitting one of the otherover-sized, flea-bags! Because, if that was it, I think I pretty much proved that it's easy! So why does it matter who or what Bella Swan punched?"

A corner of Jacob's mouth curved-up, devilishly, and if I thought his smile had been irresistible before—well—his smirk was absolutely sin-worthy. I swallowed as I noticed it, and his fiery gaze noticed me, roaming over me in such a way that I could feel his eyes scorching a trail up my skin.

"It's proof," he replied and I shook my head at that, confused.

"Proof of WHAT?"

Jacob's expression turned smug.

"It's proof that—in spite of what the other guys say—I DO have good taste in women!" Jacob crossed his strong arms over his chest as he continued, "The only two girls I've ever loved have both punched a werewolf—granted—one of the werewolves was me, but still, it takes a tough girl—a brave girl—to throw a punch at one of us."

It took me a moment to process his words. He had both complimented me and insulted me at the same time. He had called me brave while simultaneously comparing me to Bella Swan! My eyebrows lowered as I tried to decide which I wanted to respond to, and after a short moment of thinking it over...I decided on the latter!

"I'm NOTHING like that girl!" I shouted as I poked an angry finger at his chest, "It was stupidity that made her punch you, not bravery! And—"

Jacob let-out a frustrated growl as his hands shot-out to grab my waist, pulling me down with him as he took a rolling drop onto the sand. I quickly forgot about being angry as we rolled over each other a few times, laughing, until he stopped once he was on top of me. He braced himself up on his arms then, and gazed down at me with a wide grin on his face.

"You're right. I'm sorry," he said as he brushed a stand of hair from my face, "You're nothing like her—you're much, _much_ better."

His words made me a little less angry. He meant the words to be sweet, but I was tempted to ask him how he could possibly know, for sure, that _I_ was better. After all, he didn't remember much about Bella. My lips parted to say so, but I became distracted by him. His eyes were dark and heavy lidded as he gazed down at me, and the sudden accelerated pounding of his heart thumped against my chest as he lowered his torso onto mine. I swallowed in exasperation from the heat radiating from him, but even as he leaned down to kiss me I didn't allow myself to get lost in the moment. All this talk about Bella Swan had really put a damper on things, and suddenly, I needed an escape! A smile curved-up my lips just before I pushed Jacob off of me, sending him on to his back as I scampered to my feet. I stood before him then as he stared up at me with a dazed and confused expression on his face. I could just imagine that his thoughts were asking: "Huh?"

"Come on," I challenged as I waved for him to get up, "Let's race!"

Jacob shook his head at me as he reluctantly pushed himself up off the sand.

"I thought we already were," he muttered as he covered his heart with a hand and then patted his chest in rhythm with the racing beat of his pulse.

He was clearly making a reference to the way our hearts had been pounding for each other. I bit down on my bottom lip to prevent my smile from turning into a grin as I watched his gesture. It was true that our hearts had been racing. I sighed as looked into his eyes.  
"Jacob. Sometimes you're so ridiculously corny...that it's almost cute."

Jacob chuckled and then reached out for my hand.

"What can I say?" he shrugged his shoulders as his smile turned smug, "I'm a regular Don Juan—the ladies can't resist me."

I pursed my lips at that and focused my eyes on the trees.

"Wanna bet!" I yelled-out before letting go of his hand, and sprinting forward.

I could hear his footfalls right behind me as I made it underneath the cover of the trees, and then quickly started shedding off my clothes. Jacob did the same from behind his own tree, but as always, he was quicker to undress then I was. My thoughts were filled with excitement—adrenalin—at the prospect of getting to do the one thing I could do better then anyone: RUN! I phased, then, with the same excitement ticking in my brain.

_Let's race to the—_

My eagerness was cut-off by the bombardment of other thoughts. Voices in my head: Paul, Brady and Seth. Words in my mind: Vampires, Italy and Bella. I growled at the thoughts. Jacob and I, it seemed, could never have a day to ourselves without some other forces getting in the way!

_Some of the Cullen's are leaving for Italy, today._ Seth informed me.

I gave a mental shrug in response so he would know just how much I didn't care. Seth's thoughts passed-off my shrug as stubbornness, and then he continued on.

_They're going to tell the Volturi of their plans—ya know—to try and keep the peace. _

The tone in Seth's mind darkened, then, and we could all feel it.

_They've set a date for Bella._

My mind sought out Jacob's, searching him for signs of distress, but he only felt the same anger that all of us felt: The anger of not understanding why anyone would choose to become one of _them!_

_November 28__th__. _Seth added and the anger flared.

_I say we kill them now!_ Paul growled. _Before it happens!_

Brady agreed, fervently, while Seth was strongly opposed to the idea. Never-the-less, he knew it didn't matter and his thoughts quickly turned to Sam.

_It's not up to us._

We all acknowledged the truth of that statement and it gave some of us relief and some of us dread to know that we didn't get to make that decision…it would be made for us. Something deep inside Jacob bristled at the idea of being made to do something, but it was quickly buried with a thin layer of indifference.

_What are we waiting for?_ Paul demanded. _Let's go tell Sam!_

Paul's consciousness disappeared from our shared mind, followed by Brady's, until Jacob, Seth and I were alone.

_November 28__th.__...They'll be in Alaska by then._ Seth said with hope in his thoughts. _I don't think Sam will bring the fight there. And, the treaty protects them here as long as Bella's alive. Sam wouldn't break the treaty…Would he?_

Seth focused on my mind and the worry in his made me wish I could say something to sooth him. The truth was: I didn't know what Sam would do! If I thought that another punch to the face would make him leave the Cullen's alone…I'd do it! As far as I was concerned, Bella Swan was already as cold as they were; only, her temperature just hadn't registered it, yet.

"I don't know" was my only response and I felt Jacob's attention turn to me. He was sympathetic to my desire to reassure Seth, and I was his motivation to give it a try.

_Sam wouldn't go to Alaska_. Jacob told Seth, confidently. _He fears those other bloodsuckers more than he does the Cullen's, and he wouldn't leave our land unprotected.__Would he break the treaty? _Jacob mentally shrugged. _Who knows, but it'd be a risky move—more risk than it's worth._

Seth and I both acknowledged the truth in Jacob's words. The Cullen's wouldn't fight us and trying to chase down targets that didn't want to fight was actually harder than going after ones that did. Besides, after taking their "special" abilities into consideration, the idea of fighting the Cullen's was about as smart a fighting a swarm of mosquitoes while wearing bug repellent. I huffed out a sigh through my snout.

_He'll let them go._ I said.

Jacob agreed, but Seth wasn't so sure. He was still worried about the Cullen's—his friends—and whether or not he'd be forced to kill them. I cringed at my brother's dread, and maybe not only his, but also mine. I didn't want to harm the Cullen's, no matter how bad they smelled, or how creepy they all looked! The Cullen's were not our enemy, and I didn't want to fight them.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, fellow Blackwater-lovers! I've had a lot of "real life" drama going on that is still on-going. That's life! Anyway, future delays are highly possible...especially after August 22nd. *COUGH*school*COUGH* Just a heads-up. But, I have about 5 or 6 more chapters planned for this story...and I'm the type of person who will go nuts if I don't finish what I start...so...unless I die...I WILL finish this story...eventually! **

**;)**

***HUGS***

* * *

Chapter 15

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Charlie Swan sat on the love-seat with the Seattle Times in one hand, and ever-so-often a coffee mug in the other. I leaned against the wall across from the living room as I watched him lift his mug from the coffee table to bring it up to his mustache. He was too absorbed in whatever it was that he was reading to notice me, and I couldn't help but wonder how he got by as the "chief of police" when he didn't even see what was standing right in front of him. His eyes glanced over me, briefly, as he sat the mug back down, and then his head snapped to my direction as his heart gave a start.

"Leah!" he nearly choked, coughing, as he brought a fist to his mouth only to find that his mustache was a little wet from the coffee. He quickly rubbed it off with his hand, and then cleared his throat.

"Didn't see you standing there," his voice deepened, nonchalant as if he was trying to play-off his surprise.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Charlie," I sighed, "Why are you here?"

His brow wrinkled, showing his age, and his face reddened as he flustered over my words. I quickly realized then that my words sounded a lot ruder than I had intended them to.

"Sorry," I apologized, "I meant—why aren't you having breakfast at home, you know...with your daughter? She's leaving today, isn't she?"

Charlie's face returned to his normal pasty color and he laid his newspaper down on his knee.

"Bells had to finish packing this morning—I didn't want to get in her way."

My lips pursed as I stared at him. _What was it with white people and their lacking sense of family-togetherness?_ If Seth or I were moving-off somewhere—our mom would be evolved in every move we made! Charlie repositioned himself on his seat then, and I realized that my staring was making him uncomfortable. I opened my mouth to try coax a _real_ conversation out of him then, but surprisingly, Charlie beat me to the punch.

"Bella's got her own life. She doesn't want her old man hovering over her," he explained, "And, we spent time together on Thanksgiving—it was our last _hoorah_, so-to-speak. We had dinner at the Cullen place."

I quirked an eyebrow at his words. _Dinner with the Cullen's?_ I had a hard time imagining the sight of vampires eating turkey and dressing, but it was even harder to process the fact that Charlie considered _that_ to be "spending time with his daughter". Charlie picked up his newspaper again and went back to reading it when I didn't reply, but I continued to stare at him. I was puzzled over his semi-estranged relationship with his daughter. It was pretty sad. Charlie's eyes peered over the top of his paper then, seeing that I was still watching. I gave a sigh and then walked away from the wall and across the distance between us. Charlie immediately straightened in his seat as I lightly sat down on the love seat next to him.

"Charlie," I began as I gave his knee a pat and he looked at me with a mixture of surprise and confusion on his face, "You're here almost every morning—why don't you just bite-the-bullet and move-in already?"

The surprise and confusion that had made his expression tense—smoothed as he gaped at me, and if it was possible his skin seemed to get even paler. Charlie swallowed and then opened his mouth to try and respond. I could hear the acceleration of his pulse at the mention of moving in with my mother. I flashed him a reassuring smile.

"Don't sweat it, Charlie." I said as rose from my seat, "It's just something to consider."

With that, I walked away before I made the cop anymore uncomfortable than I already had. I didn't need my mom hounding me for being the cause of the "constipated look" that was on her boyfriend's face...

.

* * *

.

Over the spray of water that pooled into my ears, obstructing the clearness of sound as I stood beneath the shower head, and through the tiles, the sheetrock, and bricks—I could hear the "_vroom vroom_" of a motorcycle in the distance. I stiffened as the sound of its engine grew louder as if it was coming nearer, and through the fragrant bath soap, the coffee brewing in the kitchen, and the spices of my mothers small herb garden—I could faintly smell something familiar. _Jacob…and his motorcycle._ A scowl formed on my face as I quickly grabbed the shower handle and shut the water off. _He had to pick THIS day, of all days, to ride that stupid bike! _In my eagerness to confront him—I pulled on my clothes without drying-off, causing them to dampen from touching my skin, and my soaking-wet hair caused trickles of water to stream down my neck. I jerked open the bathroom door, and then marched out, planning to meet him before he stepped foot onto my front porch. But, before I made it down the hallway and past the kitchen, my mom stared pointedly at me from the table—her eyes like strong magnets that pulled mine to hers.

"Charlie sure left in hurry this morning," the accusation in her voice halted my steps, "Do know _why_ that might be?"

I stopped to shrug my shoulders and then walked off as I suggested over my shoulder that: "It's probably because his daughter is moving off to Canada."

"Alaska!" She corrected just I closed the front door behind me, but I couldn't care less.

The black motorcycle turned onto my street as I took a step off the front porch, and my anger recoiled immediately upon seeing Jacob astride the hunk of metal. He was wearing a tight black shirt that strained over the muscles of his chest and a pair of dark wash jeans. My stomach fluttered excitedly at the sight of him as it often did, but it was the motorcycle he was on that made my temperature rise. The black machine he straddled, as he pulled into my driveway, worked like an added accessory to his tall, lean frame. It complimented his black hair, his brown skin and his dark clothing, making him seem older and almost dangerous at how easily he handled the bike, shutting off the engine. I swallowed as his eyes focused on me while one of his hands let go of the handlebars to push a strand of hair behind his ear. The concentration on his face quickly lightened as his lips pulled-up into a bright grin, making his already handsome face even more so. I took in a stuttering breath at the sight, and then watched how easily, how _naturally_, he got off the motorcycle.

"Hey, Leah." He huskily greeted as he walked towards me with long determined strides.

I felt my temperature rise even higher and the only sound I could hear was my own heart beating loudly in my eardrums as Jacob neared me. His arms stretched-out then, and he pulled me into a tight embrace, lifting my feet slightly off the ground as he laid his head into the crook of my neck. My hands quickly clung to his back, wanting to keep him close to me, wanting to do more than just hug him, but Jacob pulled away.

"You're all wet!" he said with a chuckle as he held his arms out to show me his dampened black shirt.

His eyes were filled with amusement as he looked to me for an explanation, but my eyes were filled with lust as I eyed him up-and-down.

Feverishly, my arm shot-out towards him and I grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulling him flush against me until I could wrap my arms around his neck. My lips pressed hotly to his as my leg desperately hitched around his hip, pulling his body impossibly close to mine. Jacob held me then, and his mouth complimented my movements—his kiss buzzing on my lips and sending tingles throughout my body. A moan escaped me at the sensation and I felt Jacob's body go tense. His mouth pulled into a smile underneath mine then, and I could feel the laugh as it bellowed through his chest.

"You're mom," he whispered as I still kissed his talking lips, "is...right there...in the kitchen."

My eyes widened at the thought of my mother hearing me _moan_ and I quickly lowered my hitched-leg while unwrapping my arms from around his neck. I took-in a jagged breath as I gazed-up at Jacob. His eyes danced over my face—his face, slightly red around his lips from my kisses but it didn't faze the grin that he gave me.

"Wow." He breathed as he looked me over, "I didn't figure you for a motorcycle lover."

_Motorcycle? _I pursed my lips and looked up at him with narrowed eyes as I quickly remembered that I was supposed to be angry. I took a step to the side then, and pointed a finger at the hunk of metal in my driveway.

"Why is THAT here?" I spat-out the question.

Jacob looked over his shoulder at the motorcycle and then looked back at me with confusion on his face.

"What?" he asked, clueless, as he raised his arms in question, "It's transportation."

"No!" I disagreed as I walked past him towards the bike and gestured at it wildly with my hands, "THIS is a memento of Bella Swan! And, today, we are going to see her off! Why would you want to ride this over there?"

Jacob silently stared at me for a moment as I searched his eyes for an answer, wondering what he was thinking. _Was he trying to stir-up some old feelings in her soon-to-be cold, lifeless heart?_ My eyes seared into him accusingly.

"I don't know," he replied as his eyebrows lowered and he looked away from me as if he was searching for an answer too, "I didn't think about it that way. I just—I wanted to ride it today."

He looked into my eyes then, and I could see that he was telling the truth. But it didn't do much to chase away my uneasy feeling. Perceptive as ever, Jacob noticed my discomfort and he sighed.

"It's no big deal, Leah," he said, "I'll just leave it here and we can go to the leeches place on foot."

My narrowed eyes shifted away from him and settled on the black motorcycle. The cog wheels in my head were turning as I weighed my choices: _Take the bike and risk evoking Bella Swan's "must-cling-to-Jacob-impulse"? Or, make him leave the bike and act like one of those possessive, over-controlling type-girls?_ A cloud unblocked the sun then, and shone down on the chrome of the bike so that sunlight reflected off of it and into my eyes, blinding them. I quickly looked away and glanced up at Jacob, blinking a few times. There was no sign of a preference towards taking the bike, or leaving the bike, on Jacob's face. His eyes only stared into mine, expectantly, and I imagined that he was thinking that I was one of those possessive, over-controlling type-girls. A scowl formed on my face.

"Fine." I grumbled, "We'll take it."

Jacob shook his head as he looked down at me.

"No. Seriously, Leah. It doesn't ma—"

"We're taking the Harley!" I repeated with finality and then shouldered past him towards the bike.

Jacob gave a frustrated sigh and then followed. I could feel the heat radiating off his body as he came to a stop behind me and then pressed closer. His hands slipped between my arms and my sides so he could wrap them around my waist, hugging me tight against him. I didn't fight. I laid my head back on his chest and closed my eyes as I felt his lips brush against my ear.

"Stop worrying," he whispered, "There's nothing _she_ could do to change the way I feel, and if the bike bothers you this much—I'll tear the damn thing apart and sell what's left as scrap metal."

My eyes shot open so I could see the black motorcycle and I felt a strong sense of opposition to his words. The thought of never seeing Jacob riding the Harley again...was disappointing! I could still feel my reaction—at first seeing him on the bike—course through my body. It would be a CRIME to destroy the motorcycle! I leaned forward a little so I could look back at him over my shoulder.

"Nah, don't do that," I said, trying to sound as impartial as possible, "You spent a lot of time fixing-up this bike."

Jacob's eyes searched mine and a knowing smile slowly began to form on his face as if he knew just how much the motorcycle had affected me. He didn't mention it though, and I didn't question him as he gave me a squeeze before unwrapping his arms.

"Come on," he called, grabbing my hand and threading his fingers through mine as he pulled me towards the bike, "Seth is already at the Cullen's."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of my little brother.

"What's new," I scoffed, letting go of Jacob's hand as he threw a leg over the bike, "Seth is _always_ at the Cullen's."

Jacob gave a laugh and then looked me over, dropping his hand from the handlebar to pat the empty space on the seat behind him. I raised an eyebrow and perched my hands on my hips as I noticed his lack of motorcycle safety.

"What—no helmet?" I asked.

Jacob looked around, lost, as if the thought had never occurred to him, and then he pointed a thumb to his chest.

"Werewolf, remember?"

I gave him a bored look and then walked over to him so I could gently smack the palm of my hand to his forehead.

"BRAIN-DAMAGE, remember?"

A sly-looking grin formed on Jacob's face and his eyes twinkled as they gazed into mine.

"No," he said, "Actually, I don't remember."

My eyes narrowed at him for playing his "amnesia" card, but the grin he gave me made it hard for me to be mad him. I sighed in defeat.

"Alright!" I groaned, "Let's just get this over with!"

I slung a leg over the bike and then scooted up until my chest was pressed to his back and my arms were wrapped securely around him. I could feel the quakes of Jacob's body as he chuckled at me, and even though I couldn't see his smile—happiness radiated off of him in such a way that I could feel it. I wrapped my arms around him tighter, giving him a squeeze, and then, suddenly, the engine came to life underneath me, rumbling and vibrating as I clung to him. My legs clenched tight to the sides of the motorcycle as he walked it down the driveway and on to the street.

"Ready?" he asked over the rumble of the bike.

I rolled my eyes. _Was I ready to deal with Cullen's one last time? _I groaned at the thought.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

.

* * *

.

The Cullen's were loading-up a giant moving truck as Jacob and I turned down their street. The one big leech with the big arms lifted a large box—the size of a couch—into the back of the truck as if it were a box of tissues. The rest of the Cullen clan carried smaller boxes, but they held them as if they were lighter than air. I wrapped my arms a little tighter around Jacob as the motorcycle slowed and I caught my first whiff of that sickly sweet smell. Jacob's body tensed underneath my grasp as if he smelt it too, and my eyes sought-out Seth. He was getting teased by the big leech as he struggled under the weight of one of the couch-sized boxes, and I wondered how it was that my own brother could tolerate their smell so easily.

"He really cares a lot about them, doesn't he?" Jacob asked in a voice that was nearly lost over the sound of the motorcycle.

I didn't reply as we rolled into the driveway and the rumbling sound came to a stop. Nine faces turned on us then. I glanced around at all of them, but my eyes only focused on one. Bella Swan had been standing on the sidelines, watching the vampires pack-away their home as she hugged herself, but as the familiar black motorcycle stopped at the end of the driveway—her pulse accelerated. I took note of how her arms fell limply at her sides as she saw the two of us on the back of the bike, and I watched as she took-in an uneven breath. Her mind-reader was quick to move to her side then, placing a comforting hand at her back as he looked at us with eyes that told me he knew exactly what we had come to say.

"Hey, guys." Seth solemnly called-out and my eyes turned to him as he jogged towards us.

The perpetual frown that had been on his face for a few days, suddenly, seemed to have deepened. Whether it was because the Cullen's were leaving, or because of the way I was still clinging to Jacob—I wasn't sure. Regardless, I unwrapped my arms from around him and then scooted back on the seat. I quickly slid off of the bike and took a few steps away from it so Jacob could do the same. The doctor approached us then, his wife at his side, and the rest of his family scattered around behind him.

"We understand that you have something to tell us," he announced straight-off.

I quirked an eyebrow at the lack of pleasantries. _No, "Good morning"? No, "How's your head, Jacob?"? Nothing? _Jacob threw his leg over the bike then, and strode towards me while his eyes were focused on the doctor.

"We do," he affirmed with a nod, "And, I'm sure you've figured it out since Sam sent _**us**_—instead of 10 angry wolves—but I'll make it official," Jacob paused to thread his fingers through mine without even looking down to do so, "Sam's letting you go."

There was silence from the Cullen's. They didn't react to the message at all! In fact, there was a look of expectancy on their faces as if they were just waiting for the punch-line—as if they _knew _that there was a punch-line! I accusingly looked to the mind-reader, and his eerie, yellow orbs were unreadable as he looked into my eyes. He, no doubt, had picked our plans from Seth's mind, or maybe even Sam's—from the moment Sam had first thought them up.

"Sam does have one stipulation," Jacob pointlessly added to the well-informed vampires, "If you ever come back—well—let's just say that it's open season on Cullen's."

The leech with the big arms scoffed at the way Jacob presented Sam's condition. His mouth curved-up into a taunting smile as if he was thinking: "I'd like to see you try!" The mind-reader quickly shot him a look while the doctor nodded in agreement to the condition.

"Thank you for your leniency," he spoke, "We understand and we will accept whatever consequences come from breaking the treaty," his eyes blinked then and his expression turned grave, "We have a message for you, also. A warning."

Jacob and I looked at each other, taken aback by the sudden turn of events. We had come here as Sam's personal messengers—hand-picked to be the ones who communicated with the leeches—only to find out that: not only had our message preceded us, but the leeches had a message for us too.

"What kind of warning?" I demanded as I caught sight of the worry on my brother's face.

The mind-reader's eyes crossed mine then, alerting me of his gaze just like a bug crawling across my skin would, and I looked at him.

"A warning of a potential threat to your people," he said and the doctor nodded, confirming his words. My mind automatically thought of the black cloaked leech, then. I imagined seeing her multiply into an army of thousands, sending her apparitions to come marching towards our homes, but no matter her ability—she was still only one vampire. I realized then, that it would require a lot of leeches to threaten grip tightened around Jacob's hand as my eyebrows lowered, angrily.

"The Vultures?" I guessed.

"Volturi." Someone corrected me and I shrugged it off.

"Yes," the doctor spoke as his eyes met mine, "Alice and Jasper traveled with me to Volterra. Our meeting there was successful—the Volturi accepted our plans."

He gave a meaningful nod towards Bella so that we would know what he meant by "plans".

"However," he added and his eyes stared into Jacob's, "The Volturi voiced in interest in your pack, and they questioned us as to whether or not we employ you as our personal assassins. That, of course, not being the case, led us to show them the nature of our arrangement with your pack."

"'Show them'?" Seth questioned as he raised a curious eyebrow.

"Yes," the doctor affirmed, "Aro, a leader of the Volturi, has an ability much like Edward's. It allowed him to see all of my experiences with your kind, and it assured him that your pack poses no threat to them."

Jacob humphed at that.

"Unless they come on our land—you mean."

The doctor stared unblinkingly at Jacob, then.

"There is a chance of that," he admitted as he eyes held Jacob's, "The Volturi, as a coven, have no interest in your pack, any longer. Never-the-less, I have an uneasy feeling about Caius, another Volturi leader. You see—he is always looking-out for his next crusade, and he holds a deep hatred for werewolves."

At the word "werewolves", the three of us looked around at each other as if we were all thinking the same thing.

"Are there other werewolves in the world?" Seth asked, curiously.

The doctor's face was grim.

"Possibly," he replied, "Though, it is believed that Caius nearly drove them all to extinction."

Jacob's hand squeezed around mine at the news and I could feel the anger rolling off of him. I was angered, too. My jaw clenched as I imagined a time long ago that there had once been another tribe—in another part of the world—who possessed the werewolf gene. I imagined seeing the vampires trap and slaughter all of the wolves, causing them to phase back into humans so their loved ones could look upon their lifeless eye before they, themselves, were slaughtered too. I swallowed hard at this news of this werewolf genocide.

"So what you're trying to say," Jacob half-growled, "Is that this bloodsucker will try to take-out our entire tribe?"

I stared up at the side of Jacob's face as he looked around at the vampires. They were quiet for a moment until the little female leech with the black hair moved towards us. She came to a stop at the doctor's side as she looked at each of us with her eerie, yellowish eyes.

"Sometimes I can't see his decisions," she told us, "But sometimes I can. I think my visions get blurred whenever Caius in near the shadow-cloner—the vampire who likes to be everywhere at once—but I will keep watching. I haven't had a vision of him leaving Volterra, but if Caius makes that decision I will send word to you."

The doctor nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, we won't leave you to face them alone."

All of the other vampires standing before us voiced their agreement to the doctor's words, and my shoulders fell. I was dumbstruck by their allegiance _so_ much, that it was paralyzing and my fingers would have easily slipped through Jacob's if his grip hadn't been so firm. I blinked dumbly at the doctor. We had just threatened to kill his family if they ever came back to Forks—and now—he was willing to risk that in order to defend us…

"Carlisle, you can't!" Seth pleaded, "We'll have to kill you! I don't think Sam would let you go just for trying to help. No, he'd probably blame you for the others showing up!"

"He would have the right to," the mind-reader said before he looked down at the troublesome girl his arm was around and stared into her eyes, "If I had never gone to Italy, the Volturi would have never known about you, and they wouldn't have found out aboutthe wolves."

"Edward, you can't blame yourself for this," Bella cried as she turned into him, nuzzling herself into his chest.

My lip curled up at the sight. I didn't just blame _Edward_. I blamed Bella Swan! She was the cause of so many things gone wrong! The mind-reader lifted his head up off the top of hers and stared at me with warning eyes.

"I take full responsibility for this," he said as he held my gaze, "If they come on your land—I'll be by your side."

"It'll be your funeral!" Jacob warned as he stared at Edward.

I looked between the two of them as they regarded one another for a moment. Jacob's eyes started to narrow while a glimmer of amusement shone in the mind-readers eyes, and it made me curious to know what the vampire heard in Jacob's head.

"You know," he began as a smile twitched on his lips, "I once told you that if we had met under different circumstances that I might actually like you, but you said: "Not even then"," the mind-reader chuckled as he looked Jacob in the eye, "I know now that it's true."

Jacob smirked at that.

"Good to know I haven't forgotten what matters."

Jacob looked down at me then, and his hand tightened around mine as he smiled. I found myself smiling back under the influence of his warm, brown eyes, but I felt a pull to look away. There were eyes on me that itched like a rash that I needed to scratch and I looked away to find a pair of doe-like ones. Bella Swan's cheeks had turned red and her eyes were welling with tears as she glanced at Jacob. Obviously she had been offended by him "I haven't forgotten what matters" comment. My eyes were hard and pitiless as I looked her over.

"We should go see Charlie," Edward quickly suggested to Bella before shooting me a look.

Bella nodded glumly, hanging her head down as her mind-reader guided her forward.

"Good idea," the doctor approved, "We would all like to say goodbye to Charlie. We will meet you there."

The mind-reader gave a nod to his family before turning to Seth. My brother's face held a frown that could bring the whole world to their knees, and I hated to see it.

"Maybe we'll get to team-up again," Edward said as he held his fist out to Seth.

A sad smile tugged at my brother's lips as he bumped his fist against the vampires.

"We make a good team."

The mind-reader smiled at Seth, and then his head suddenly turned to Jacob as if he had spoken aloud. The vampire's expression was quick to turn down—a scowl forming on his face as if he something offended him, and I knew for certain that it was Jacob's mind.

"I assure you that we don't take Sam's warning lightly," he declared, "Your pack was there for us in our hour of need. We know the risk, but we will return the favor."

I felt Jacob's body tense-up from the mind-intrusion, but he nodded in-kind to the mind-reader.

"Goodbye, Jake."

The sudden high-pitched croak made Jacob turn and my heart sped-up as his eyes fixed on Bella Swan. She flicked a tear off her cheek and she searched his face as if she was searching for the pre-coma-Jacob—the Jacob that had been in-love with her. Jacob's head turned away at the sight of her tears and his hand tightened around mine as if he needed to grab hold of something. I squeezed his hand back, reassuringly.

"Goodbye, Bella," he said as his head rose to see her, his voice taking-on a bitter edge, "Hope you can live with yourself for what you're doing to Charlie."

Bella's countenance was quick to change. Her cheeks were still red, but I could tell it was from anger. The mind-reader looked darkly at Jacob and then placed his hand on Bella's back, causing her to calm at his touch.

"Let's go." His voice was low as he spoke to her and then placed a kiss on the top of her head.

I watched the two of them walk-off towards a silver car that was parked in front of the moving truck, and then my attention turned to the other vampires. The doctor and his wife smiled to all of us, but mostly to my brother.

"Seth," the female vampire nearly cooed as she stepped forward to give him the lightest of hugs, "You're welcome to visit us in Alaska anytime!"

"Thanks, Esme," he muttered, and then glanced at Jacob and I, as if he was looking for permission, "But, I better not."

The vampire nodded her head in understanding as the doctor shook hands with Seth and then moved towards Jacob. The doctor stuck his hand-out to him then, and Jacob's fingers slipped through mine so he could do the same. I watched as werewolf and vampire shared a firm handshake—or, was it patient and physician? The doctor glanced at me before letting go of Jacob's hand, and he nodded to me as if he respected my desire to not be touched. I reached for Jacob's hand then—the hand the vampire had shook—it was the closest to friendliness that leeches would ever get from me.

"This may be farewell for good," the doctor said, "If we are fortunate, Caius will stay away. If we are not," he paused as he turned to look at each member of his family before turning back to us, "As Edward said: You were there in our hour of need. We will return the favor."

"Thank you." Seth spoke for all of us because I was too stubborn to thank a vampire and Jacob wouldn't thank them because he knew what they were risking.

The vampires turned away then. I watched as they loaded the few remaining boxes into the moving truck before closing it, and I noticed how their house seemed desolate. The dozens of large windows that had made leech-manor seem inviting were now closed-off by metal shutters. It reminded me of a boarded-up house that had been abandoned before the arrival of a catastrophic storm. A house left behind by a family who were seeking shelter. I realized, then, that was precisely what the Cullen's were doing: Seeking shelter from, us, the storm that would come crashing down on them if they stayed.

The moving-truck rolled out of the driveway then, and the cars that had been hidden inside of the garage pulled-out one-by-one. The three of us watched in silence as the entire Cullen clan drove-away, leaving Forks and leaving us without a few extra allies.

"This isn't going to be easy," Seth sighed as he stared at the empty driveway.

My eyebrows lowered as I examined my little brother.

"What "isn't going to be easy"?"

Seth turned around to face Jacob and I, with the same deep frown on his face.

"Convincing Sam to let the Cullen's be."

Jacob and I looked at each other as our hands clasped tighter. We both knew how pointless it would be to try to convince Sam of anything. Sam was the Alpha. His word was stone. _Or so he liked to think…_

"I think we should take this thing one step at a time," Jacob said as he looked at Seth, "We won't have to worry about the Cullen's coming back if those other bloodsuckers don't show-up. But, right now, on the chance that they do, we have to think about our own families first."

Seth nodded. It was a grim acceptance. He wanted to live in a world where vampires and werewolves were at peace. I gave a sigh as I looked at him. Sometimes I wished he was a little more like me—a little more "I don't give a damn" and a little less "let's all be friends"—but deep down I knew that it was his differences that made him so lovable.

"The Cullen's can take care of themselves," I tried to comfort Seth, "They've got some super freaky abilities on their side. Now, come on!" I called as I pulled Jacob's hand towards the motorcycle, "Let's get out of here before the Almighty Alpha sends his dogs after us."

We situated ourselves on the back of the motorcycle while Seth headed-off towards the trees. Seth would phase and some of our pack brothers would find out about the impending threat before Sam would. I looked ahead as Jacob sped for home and the rumbling sound of the bike seemed to match the formation of the clouds above. The thick dark sheet was spread across the sky—as far back as I could see—and it was heading our way. The heavy grey clouds were a sure-sign that the forecast for the week would be: rain, more rain, and then some. Usually I didn't mind, but the gloomy sky only intensified the foreboding that the leeches had given me. I wrapped my arms a little tighter around Jacob then and I laid my cheek against his back, holding on to the good thing that I had while I had it.


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: As of 4/13/2012 9:28 pm, This story is finished! Yay! I will be uploading the rest of the chapters NOW! Thanks for reading! :)**

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Chapter 16

November 28, 2006

"I had a dream."

Jacob's voice broke through our shared silence as we sat across from each other in a diner booth. I was tempted to roll my eyes and say: "Big deal. Everyone has dreams." Instead, I held my tongue. His dark eyes almost seemed haunted as I glanced up from a pile of french-fries to meet them. His expression was solemn and underneath his brown skin I could see his jaw clench as if it was taking a considerable amount of strength for him to tell me about it. I quickly realized that this wasn't any ordinary dream.

"A nightmare?" I deduced.

Jacob crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his back into the booth as his expression turned to one of sudden regret. I imagined that he regretted mentioning it at all, but once he started to tell me something he'd have to finish…or else! As if he knew it, Jacob sighed, causing his broad shoulders to rise then fall before his eyes shot me an earnest look.

"It was about Bella," he confessed, examining me closely for a reaction.

I swallowed and my mouth twisted into a scowl at his words. _He was dreaming about Bella, huh? _I quickly picked-up a french-fry and bit it in half.

"So it **was** a nightmare, then."

Jacob smirked at my tone and nodded his head.

"Yeah," he admitted, "It was. But not in the way _you_ mean."

My eyebrows lowered, sending him a questioning look, and he averted his eyes away from me. I followed his gaze and looked out the window where the streets of Forks were slick with rain. The sky was darkened by the storm clouds, making it appear to be later than it actually was.

"She was dying," he spoke suddenly, keeping his eyes glued on the window, "And it was the most scared and desperate I'd ever been. I couldn't do anything to save her and it made me crazy. It was torture. I don't know where those feelings came from, but I woke up in cold sweat, feeling like someone I really loved had just died."

Jacob's head turned away from the window and his eyes searched mine. I swallowed as I stared at him. Too many thoughts ran through my head for me to only choose one to verbalize, and Jacob quickly responded to that.

"Leah, I don't remember her," he assured me, offering-up an answer to at least one of my thoughts, "But if that dream was any indication of how I had felt about her…"

Jacob just shook his head. There were no words to explain the feelings that he couldn't remember having and I didn't want him thinking too much about his dream…or _her_.

"I had a dream last night, too," I was quick to add, "My mom brought home two dog bowls, with names on them, for Seth and me. Then, she filled them up with kibble, saying: 'Sorry, but you kids are eating me out of house and home, and the dog food's cheaper!'"

Jacob chuckled, causing a smile to form on his face that was reflected in his eyes. The sight of it warmed me and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah," I responded to his laugh, "Now _that _was a nightmare."

Jacob's smile slowly faded and he was silent again as his eyes turned to the window. A frown tugged at the corners of my mouth as I imagined that he was thinking about his nightmare. _Bella dying._ If we hadn't already known it was going to happen I would have thought that Jacob had become a psychic—some mystical result of his head trauma. Truth be told, today was the day chosen to be Bella's "vampirization", and we all knew it.

"We should probably check-in with the others," Jacob said as he pulled some folded up bills out of his pocket and dropped them onto the table, "You know, relieve one of the other guys of patrol for a while."

"No!" I shouted, stopping Jacob in mid-slide as he moved across the booth.

His eyebrows shot-up as he looked at me questioningly and I reached across the table to where his hand was braced.

"No patrolling," I said as I covered his hand with mine, "No wolves. No vampires. No Seth. No Sam. No Bella. Just you and me and something…normal."

Jacob grinned and turned his hand over so that he could wrap his fingers around mine.

"I don't believe in normal," he said, "But the part about 'you and me' sounds good."

I smiled at that, but then quickly pulled my hand out of his grasp—to his dismay—as our big-haired waitress walked over to our table. I noticed that her aging face suddenly looked more relaxed and friendlier than it previously had as if our "hand holding" had changed her perception of us. I frowned.

"Can I get you two anything else?" she asked as she glanced from me to Jacob.

"That's it," he replied, "Unless," he paused as a big mischievous grin spread across his face, "Unless you've got something back there that cures PDA anxiety."

I glared at Jacob as he looked to the waitress with a satisfied smile on his face.

"I'm sorry," the waitress said, looking confused, "PDA?"

"Public Displays of Affection," I grumbled as my eyes shot daggers into Jacob.

There was a moment of silence as Jacob smiled at me while I glared at him with loathing, but then, the silence was broken by the sound of the waitress' laugh.

"Oh!" she said through her laughter, finally catching on to Jacob's words, "PDA! Hunny, you should try our peach cobbler!" she said before leaning in closer to whisper in a voice low enough that Jacob wouldn't hear, "I don't know what Roger puts in that stuff, but just one bite and I'd let _Frankenstein's monster have his way with me!"_

I grimaced and Jacob (whose super-hearing ability was unknown to the waitress) raised his fist to his mouth as he choked on a laugh. _Good! __I hope you do choke!_

"No thanks," I spat as I slid out of the booth, keeping my distance from the waitress as I made my way towards the exit.

"Here, keep the change," I heard Jacob say from behind me—probably handing her the folded-up bills—as I shoved open the door and walked outside.

"Thanks, sugar," she replied and then her voice turned to a whisper, "Just give her some time. She'll grow to appreciate the idea of PDA from a handsome young man like you."

"Thanks, Marlene."

_Marlene? UGH!_ I rolled my eyes at Jacob's friendliness. _Seriously! Who calls a waitress by their __**name**__?_ I was tempted to turn around and glance at the window behind me so I could see the waitress, who was probably sending Jacob appraising looks as he walked away. As it were, I just stood under the eaves of the diner's roof, arms crossed, as I watched the rain come down in true Pacific Northwest style. It pelted down on everything it touched, creating a rhythmic pitter-patter sound that almost distracted me from the sound of Jacob exiting the diner.

"I don't have a problem with PDA," I spoke the words through clenched teeth.

Jacob gave a laugh of disbelief and then taunted me with: "Prove it."

I turned to him with narrowed eyes and my arms defiantly crossed over my chest. His eyes twinkled mischievously and a smile slowly curved-up the corners of his mouth, challenging me. I narrowed my eyes even further until I was staring at Jacob through angry slits and then I open my mouth to tell him off.

"You—"

Jacob's body crashed into mine, sending me to stumble backwards into the rain, but not falling over. His hands steadied me as one clung to my back, holding me against him, while the other tangled in my hair, pulling my head back enough so his lips had easy access to mine. I kissed him back as my hands slid-up between us, resting on the wet material that covered his chest as the rain fell down on us. My eyes were closed as his mouth pulled away and then firmly pressed to mine again, just once, sending tingles from my lips to my toes.

"They're looking," he whispered as his hands still clung to me, but I didn't open my eyes.

The sensation of the cold rain dripping down my skin while Jacob's hot arms enveloped me—was enough to distract me from all kinds of things.

"Who's looking?" I asked with disinterest as I kissed his neck, sopping-up the rain drops with my tongue.

Jacob's body went tense underneath my lips and I opened up my eyes to see his face. He swallowed as he stared down at me, his chest heaving, and his eyes heavy lidded. I smiled at his reaction and then turned my gaze on the diner. Marlene and a few of the customers were watching us through the window with various shocked expressions on their faces. I gave them all a dirty look and they turned away—back to their tasks and back to their plates.

"What do you think strikes them the most?" I asked Jacob as my eyes stayed fixed on the diner, "Us, making-out in front of them, or us, standing in the rain when it's 40 degrees out?"

Jacob's chest moved against mine as he took-in a deep breath and I glanced up at him, getting impatient for an answer.

"Well?"

Jacob gave me a lazy smirk.

"Probably the combination," he said as his hand pried his shirt from my fingers and then quickly thread his through mine, "Let's get out of here."

Jacob tugged my arm towards the little red car that was parked behind the diner and I went along without complaint. His car brought back memories of simpler times when I didn't have the option to run cross-country on all-fours. Riding in cars was normal. Jacob said he didn't believe in normal, but when I was tucked safely inside the car that he had fixed-up with his own two hands...I felt normal. My fingers that were thread through his while his other set of fingers gripped the steering-wheel...felt normal. The quick passing of time as we enjoyed each others company, also, felt normal.

I looked out the window at the passing scenery then, and I realized that night had crept-up on us. I stared over at the side of Jacob's face as his eyes were fixed on the road. Staring at Jacob had become one of my favorite pastimes, but I wouldn't ever tell him that. A corner of his mouth curved-up then, as he realized that I was staring. He glanced over at me with a smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

"Want me to pull-over so you can do more than stare?"

I snorted-out a laugh and squeezed his hand.

"That's very thoughtful of you Jacob, but you can pull-over when we get to where we're going. By the way," I paused to turn and face him in my seat, "Where **are** we going?"

Jacob smiled as he kept his eyes forward.

"Do you really have to ask? I mean—there aren't exactly a wide range of places to go in La Push."

I sat back in my seat as I glared at him. We had already passed the turn-off to my house, and deductive reasoning told me that we were heading to his.

"Taking me home to meet the parents, huh?"

Jacob laughed.

"That's only something that couples do," Jacob reminded me before flashing me a teasing grin, "Why? Would you like me to introduce you to Billy as my girlfriend?"

"I—"

"It's okay, Leah. You can admit it."

I let go of his hand then so I could punch his arm.

"If THAT is what you have planned—you can pull-over, NOW!"

Jacob gave another laugh.

"Calm down," he said, "My plans don't include my dad. Besides, you're the one who mentioned it. It must be wishful thinking."

Jacob smiled in satisfaction as he turned down the road that led to his house, and I scowled as I crossed my arms in my seat. He was half-right but I would never tell him that. Part of me wanted to be called his girlfriend. Part of me wanted to give him that claim over me. But, the other part didn't. The other part of me didn't want to put a label on what we were to one another. I knew all-to-well that once something was labeled...it's hard to un-label it. Instead, we just add prefix's to the label, like: Ex-girlfriend, Ex-wife.

"Leah."

The sound of my own name snapped me out of my thoughts and I blinked my eyes to see the hand that was waving in my face. I scowled at it and then slapped it away when I realized it was Jacob's. He chuckled at me as he proceeded with the magic trick of removing his large form from his little car. He was out and opening my door before I could even marvel at it. Instead, I stared up at him with a bored look.

"You wanted something _normal_, remember?

I suspiciously pursed my lips at his words and Jacob held out his hand to me in pure chivalrous fashion.

"No Billy. I promise."

I rose out of his car without his help and then walked past him. I could hear the TV on inside of the little house, and I wondered how Jacob could promise that there would be "no Billy" when Billy was right inside. I stopped when I came within 3 feet of the house.

"Do you hear that?" Jacob asked as he rushed-up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"The TV?" I asked, "Yeah, I hear it! Old Quil could hear the damn thing a mile away without his hearing aid." I turned in Jacob's arms so that I could see him, "You should really talk to your dad about the dangers of loud sounds and hearing loss."

Jacob grinned down at me, lighting up the night with his bright smile and making me feel like I could melt in his arms.

"I think that's the whole point of the loudness," Jacob said, "He's already lost some of his hearing. Anyway, I'm not talking about the TV. Just listen."

I closed my eyes so I could focus on sounds. The sound of Jacob's heartbeat was the first sound I heard as it pounded in his chest behind my back, but that wasn't the sound he meant. I listened through the walls of his house, ignoring the obnoxiously loud TV so that I could hear what Jacob heard, and then I did. Breathing. Labored breathing. No. Quiet snoring. I rolled my eyes and glanced over my shoulder so I could give Jacob a look.

"So, you thought you'd sneak me into your room while your dad's asleep, huh?"

Jacob shrugged his shoulders.

"You said you wanted to do something normal."

I sighed in annoyance at that and then gestured for him to lead the way. We were stealthy as predators hunting their prey and we were quieter than the spiders spinning their webs in dusty corners. Billy couldn't have heard anything over that TV, anyway! For a moment it made me worry about the vampires who were a threat to our people. It would be so easy for them to sneak up on some unsuspecting person, like Billy. It was a reminder of why we patrolled and who we protected. Momentarily, I felt guilty for not doing more...but the moment quickly passed.

"Come on," Jacob whispered as he grabbed my hand and pulled me from my standstill.

The sleeping-Billy disappeared from my sight as Jacob pulled me down the hallway and I allowed myself this chance to be irresponsible. Irresponsibility was normal...in small doses. Sneaking past a guys parents and into his bedroom was normal, too. I was suddenly filled with excitement from the normalcy of the whole situation. I knew it was cliché to think it—especially since it hadn't been that long ago—but suddenly, I felt like a teenager again. I even worried what the consequences would be if Billy woke up, but as it were...Billy was conked out.

"Told you," Jacob said as he closed the door to his tiny bedroom.

I rolled my eyes as I realized what he was referencing.

"No," I argued, "You said that there would be NO Billy—not that he would be passed-out in his wheel chair! Are you really going to leave him like that?"

Jacob chuckled.

"Happens every night," he said with a shrug, "Usually, he'll wake-up and wheel himself to his room, or sometimes I will. Don't worry about it, once you're asleep I'll check on him."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do mean _'once __I'm__ asleep'_?"

Jacob grinned, causing his eyes to sparkle as he looked at me, and it was hard not to want to go along with every word he said. Jacob took a step towards me as if he knew the power he held over me, and with his imposing presence towering over me his room seemed to grow even smaller. I took a deep breath as I gazed-up into his eyes, and his scent and the heat radiating off of him made my knees quake. Jacob took my hand in his and pulled me over the three steps it took to get to his little bed. I watched as he sat down on the mattress and then pulled me down beside him. I swallowed as I felt his mattress sink underneath me and his eyes on mine. I didn't know if it was because I was in his territory, or because I didn't know what he had in mind, but I was suddenly almost, nervous.

"Jacob," I said, swallowing again, "What do you—"

My words were cut-off by the long expanse of Jacob's chest expanding even more as he lifted his arms above his head to take off his shirt. The action ruffled his chin-length black hair, giving him the bedhead-look as he looked at me with his bedroom eyes. I gulped as I took it all in—his strong arms, his perfect chest, the black of his hair against his brown skin—so much skin—and the way his gaze made my heart flutter. He smiled at me then, and THAT was the nail in my coffin. I realized in that moment that I would do _anything_ for him. I leaned across the short distance between us (though I was tempted to crawl onto his lap) and I pressed a delicate kiss to his lips before pulling away. My eyes stayed on his as I made a movement to take off my tank-top, but Jacob's hands stopped me. His hands went to my waist and he pulled me against him until my legs were straddling his lap. I gasped from his quick maneuver and then gave a sigh as I felt his heart pounding against my chest. We gazed into each eyes then, at this position his were level with mine and among all the things I saw in his eyes—love, desire, admiration—mostly he just looked tired.

"I think you might fall asleep before I do," I said, smiling sympathetically at him as I remember his sleepless night caused by nightmare-Bella.

Jacob gave me a tired smile, "You might be right."

My smile widened then and I leaned into him, pressing my cheek against his as I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him securely, but not tightly.

"I think I'd like to watch you fall asleep," I whispered into his ear.

Jacob's lips brushed my shoulder with a gentle kiss and my entire body seemed to sigh.

"I'd like that too," Jacob whispered back as his strong arms encircled me and then, suddenly, unexpectedly—and somewhat terrifyingly—he flung us down onto the mattress.

I shrieked in surprise as I found myself laying on my side on his bed.

"Jerk!" I spat as I pinched the bare skin of his arm, "That scared me! My heart's about to beat out of my chest!"

Jacob reached out a big hand and pressed it over my heart. My eyes widened and my pulse shot-up immediately from his touch, but I was too shocked to move. Jacob snorted out a laugh as his ears heard my racing heart and the palm of his hand felt it.

"Damn," he said, "How am I supposed to know whether your hearts pounding because I scared you, or whether it's because my hand's so close to your breast?"

I shoved him away, as far as was possible on the small bed (which wasn't very far), and it sent Jacob into a fit of laughter.

"Your such a kid!" I complained as I sat up beside him and glared down at his lying, laughing form.

"Somewhere between 13 and 16, actually," Jacob added, "But **you** make me feel like a man."

I sighed at his words, partly in annoyance and partly not. Slowly, I laid back down beside him then and propped my head up with my arm.

"Go to sleep," I told him as I tried to push down the arm that his own head was propped up on, "Get comfortable."

Jacob's hand found my hip then, spreading-out his long fingers to mold them to the curve of my hip. He shut his eyes then and a satisfied smile formed on his face.

"I'm comfortable now."

I rolled my eyes.

"No, you moron! I mean, fluff-out a pillow, turn out the lights. Here—I'll get the switch."

Before I even sat up on the mattress to walk over to the switch, Jacob raised his hands above his head and clapped. The lights in his room immediately went out and I screwed-up my face as I looked at him.

"You own _The Clapper_?"

Jacob shrugged.

"Yeah," he replied, "Don't you?"

I stared at him for a moment before a loud burst of laughter escaped my lips and shook the tiny bed that we were both on. Jacob quickly clasped his hand over my mouth and shushed me.

"Threes a crowd," he whispered in a harsh tone, "Are you trying to wake Billy up?"

I laughed quietly and moved closer to him so that I was snuggling against his bare chest.

"No," I said as Jacob's one arm slinked over my back, "But, I wish that _you _would go to sleep. You're a little bit more annoying than usual when you're tired."

Jacob smiled and took a deep breath as his eyes closed, "And you're a little bit more irresistible than usual when you're in my bed."

I pressed myself into him even more at those words and the sigh he gave almost sounded like a moan.

"I'd sing you a lullaby if my voice wasn't so terrible."

"Sing it," he said, "I love your voice."

"I'm kidding. I don't know any lullaby's."

Jacob started humming some unrecognizable tune, then. I was so close to him that I could feel the vibrations from his vocal cords, and the combination of that and the deep pitch of his humming soothed me. I felt my eyes become too heavy to hold open and all my muscles began to relax. Jacob's humming soon faded away from my ears and I didn't know whether he had stopped or I had fallen asleep.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

November 29, 2006

I woke up HOT, miserably hot and sweaty. My eyes quickly adjusted to the light filling the room and I remembered where I was, but more importantly _why_ I was so hot. Jacob's sleeping head was nuzzled against my right boob while his hand groped the left one. My eyes widened and then narrowed as I wondered if he was truly asleep. _Man, if he's faking it I'm gonna—_ I brushed his hand off of me and it fell limply on to my stomach. _Figures._ I sighed in annoyance as I realized, then, that Jacob was a heavy sleeper. I looked to his face that was partially covered by his black hair, hiding his eyes from me. My hand pushed a few of the strands away from his face then and my heart thudded almost painfully in my chest. His face was made even more handsome than usual by the peacefulness I saw there and I didn't want to be the one to wake him. Carefully, I began sliding-out from under his grasp, watching his closed eyelids all-the-while for movement. Inch-by-inch, I slid my limbs off the bed and onto the floor. Jacob didn't even twitch. Soon enough, I was free from his grasp and standing on my feet. I stared at him a moment longer before I attempted to sneak out of his house. As my eyes moved over his face and down his bare back, I thought how it would be nice to wake up to him every morning_—_Only! There would have to be fans, A/C and fans. Lots of fans! But, yes, waking up every morning to Jacob's groping hands would be nice. I took a deep breath as I turned away from him and then carefully, quietly turned the door knob. As I slowly pulled open the door, I nearly had a heart attack! It was a miracle that I managed not to scream!

"Rachel!" I gasped her name.

She smiled at me and her smile seemed wicked under the circumstances. I moved into the hallway then and slowly closed Jacob's bedroom door behind me. Rachel's smile only widened with every move I made, and though I wasn't exactly happy to see her_—_I sighed in relief. Better her, than Billy!

"Trying to defile my little brother, I see."

I scowled at her in disgust.

"'Defile', _really_? Have you been reading Jane Austen, or something? Seriously, WHO uses that word?"

I walked passed her then, carefully, as I looked around corners and out through windows.

"Looking for my dad?" Rachel asked as she stayed on my heels, "Well, you lucked-out, Charlie Swan picked him up this morning. Male bonding or whatever."

I glanced over my shoulder at Rachel, narrowing my eyes as if I didn't believe her.

"Honest," she said as she held up her hand, testifying to the truth, and her eyes held no lie.

I relaxed then, and sauntered on into the living room.

"Is that it, then?" Rachel asked as I headed for the door, "You just gonna use him then lose him."

I rolled my eyes.

"Butt the hell out, Rachel. You're little brothers chastity is still intact, and it's none of your business what I do with him."

"If you hurt him it is," she said and her voice had a maternal edge to it that I recognized.

_Geez! Where had she been when Bella was around?_ I turned to face her and crossed my arms over my chest, knowing that I wouldn't ever, intentionally hurt Jacob.

"Most people worry about him hurting me," I said as I stared at Rachel.

She just gave a careless shrug of her shoulders.

"He's my little brother. I'll always worry about him first."

I nodded, understanding that, and then opened my mouth to tell her so, but—

"Do you love him?" she asked and my heart started at her question.

Uncomfortably, I looked around the living room, avoiding Rachel's gaze. Part of me wanted to punch her for putting me on the spot, and the other part of me thought she deserved to get an answer.

"Yes," I said as I looked into her eyes, "I love him."

Rachel grinned and in that split second her entire countenance changed from protective-mother-she-wolf to happy and carefree.

"Well, get in there and make him breakfast, then!"

I quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Seriously?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes as her protective-mother-she-wolf side came out again.

"You love my brother, but just not enough to cook for him, huh?"

I stared at her for a minute, testing her seriousness, and then I groaned.

"Fine! Any suggestions?"

Rachel laughed.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll eat whatever you cook up."

I groaned again and marched-off towards the Black's kitchen with Rachel following behind me. First thing, I opened the refrigerator and was surprised to find that the kitchen was well stocked with food_—_something that probably wasn't the case before Rachel moved back home.

"Eggs," I said to myself as I grabbed the carton, "But I only do scrambled, and bacon," I grabbed for the package before closing the refrigerator, "And toast..."

I glanced around the small kitchen looking for the bread and my eyes settled on the smiling Rachel Black, who had made herself comfortable on the counter top. I rolled my eyes.

"Where do you keep the bread?" I grumbled.

Rachel pointed a finger at something behind me and I turned to see a wooden box on the counter that had the word "Bread" carved into it.

I sighed in frustration and then turned back to Rachel, whose smile had turned into a full blown grin.

"Who'da thought that one day Leah Clearwater would be playing _'Susie Homemaker'_ with my little brother?"

I scowled at her.

"If you say something like that again_—_You won't be conscious to see it."

With that, I placed the bacon and eggs down on the wooden table and then cracked the knuckles in both of my fists for show. Rachel gave a dry laugh and slid off the counter top.

"Make sure you don't get any shell in you eggs," Rachel called out to me as she left the room.

I just shook my head and continued the tedious process of searching for cooking supplies inside of a kitchen that was unfamiliar to me...

Soon enough, the bacon was sizzling, the toast was toasty and the eggs were almost done scrambling. I froze with spatula in hand, then. The worst sound that I could have possibly heard, under the circumstances, was sounding in my ears.

"So now they're having sleepovers, huh?"

"Is _that _what kids are calling it these days?"

"Man, Paul! Lay off with the kid stuff already!"

"You're the one talking about sleepovers, _kid. _Not me. When you're a grown man you don't call it that...you call it_—_

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP! She's my sister! It's bad enough we all know about it. We don't need to talk about it, too!"

I clenched the handle of the spatula so tight that I could feel that my fingers were beginning to create indents. Suddenly, spending the night with Jacob had been a terrible idea!

"Why are you guys even here?" I heard Seth ask.

There was laughter. Mischievous, immature, guy laughter.

"You kidding?" asked Paul, "I wouldn't miss this!"

"Yeah," Brady agreed, "Plus, I smell breakfast!"

"Bacon!" Colin confirmed.

I lunged for the eggs just as I heard the front door open. Quickly, I tried to make myself a plate to give the illusion that I was eating the food_—_not cooking it. But, before I could turn away from the stove, foot steps entered the kitchen.

"Leah?" Seth asked, unsure, as if I was someone who just happened to look like his sister, "Leah, what are you doing? You don't even cook at home."

I groaned and then practically dropped the plate on the stove before I turned around.

"That doesn't mean I can't!" I spat, "And what are YOU doing? I don't_—_"

"BAHAHAHA!" Paul laughed hysterically from the living room, "Priceless! The only thing missing is a pink apron with ruffles! Damn, Leah! I didn't know you_—_OW! Babe! Geez!"

Paul rubbed the spot on his arm where Rachel had pinched and then twisted his skin.

"Nothing to see here boys," she said as she tried to usher them away from the kitchen, "And nothing to eat either! Besides, isn't there somewhere you're supposed to be?"

"...yeah," Brady said sounding remorseful, "But...but it just smells so good."

"Yeah," Colin agreed, "And, Jake can't eat it all!"

"GO!" Rachel's voice sounded with an authority that put Sam's to shame.

I let out a long sigh of relief as three of the boys exited the house. The one who didn't, stood in the doorway of the kitchen, glaring at me as if I were a plague. The scowl that he wore on his face reminded me too much of myself. I was getting really tired of seeing it, but not nearly as tired as I was of all these stupid boys.

"Was it absolutely necessary to bring half of the pack with you_—_the dumbest half at that?"

Seth huffed-out a breath and then looked at the walls that surrounded him.

"They followed me here. They were on patrol when I phased. Wasn't much I could do about it," he explained as his eyes moved from the wall to my face.

I was tempted to ask him why he came, but I already knew. I didn't tell him or mom that I'd be spending the night elsewhere. But, I did, and not just anywhere, I had stayed at the Black's house...with Jacob.

"Seth," I began as I held his gaze, "What's your problem? You used to all but hero worship Jacob, and now that I_—_"

I paused as I tried to think of the right words, the kind that wouldn't make things worse than they already were between Seth and I, but they didn't come. I sighed in frustration at the frown on his face.

"I don't want to see you get hurt again."

His words were followed by the sound of footsteps coming towards us. Seth turned as Jacob appeared behind him, wearing a shirt and I was thankful for it. I didn't want anything else to fuel Seth's rising hatred for him.

"I won't hurt her," Jacob tried to assure him.

His dark eyes were filled with all the sincerity in the world as he held Seth's gaze. It caused my pulse to speed up and my skin to get hot because I suddenly, really believed him, but Seth...Seth didn't.

"Right," he said with a scoff, "And when you imprint on some girl you're just gonna walk away and forget all about her."

A new kind of heat flushed my skin at the sound of his biting tone.

"Shut up, Seth! We both know the risks and they're ours to take! Not yours! God! I wish YOU would imprint on someone so you'd worry about something other than me or those leeches you love so much!"

The room was silent then_—_so silent that you could almost hear the sound of breakfast getting cold as the last bits of warmth sizzled out of the food. I glanced at the faces of the two boys who were standing near the the kitchen doorway, both had their eyes fixed on the floor as they probably thought about me and imprinting and vampires. It was way too much to be contemplating so early in the morning! I turned my back to them and started filling-up two plates of food.

"Both of you sit down," I ordered as I turned to them with a plate in each hand, "I labored over this food, and now, thanks to Seth it's cold!"

A smile formed on Jacob's face as he sat down at the table, while Seth reluctantly pulled-up a chair beside him. I placed a plate down in front of both of them and then watched for their response. Jacob dug-in immediately, but Seth pushed the eggs around on his plate before taking a bite. I smiled, satisfied with myself as his expression quickly changed upon tasting the food.

"Why haven't you ever made breakfast at home?" Seth asked in mid-bite.

I rolled my eyes.

"I have. I just make sure to eat it before you wake up."

Seth looked up at me with the same hurt puppy dog expression that I imagined he'd give me if he ever caught me making myself breakfast at home and not him. I sighed as I looked at his face, and then I caved.

"Fine! I'll make you breakfast next time I make it for myself. Happy?"

Seth smiled a big smile and he looked like his usual happy self again. Jacob noticed this too because he chuckled as he glanced between me and Seth.

"Geez, Leah. What did you put in these eggs? Seth went from gloomy to giddy in 0 to 60."

Seth shot Jacob a look. It was one that I was sure could melt butter, but it didn't phase Jacob's grin.

"I'm telling you now, Jake; I don't care if you're bigger than me. If you hurt my sister, I'm gonna go full-on attack dog on you."

I bit back a smile as Jacob tried to hold back his own, then his face went straight and he nodded in understanding.

"If I ever hurt her_—_believe me_—_I'll let you."

Jacob's eyes met mine then and their dark depths seemed to be telling me the same thing: to believe him. I took-in a deep breath and a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I held his gaze.

"Okay, okay," I said as I walked over to the food on the counter, "That's settled then, but please, in the mean time, will you stop being awkward around each other? It makes things a whole lot more uncomfortable than they need to be! And also, if either of you wants seconds...get it for yourself."

I made myself a plate then and sat down at the table. Jacob and Seth rose from the table in get what was left of breakfast and I raised a fork to my mouth. A howl in the distance froze us all and my fork fell to my plate. I was on my feet then and out the front door with the others.

"Who is it?Rachel asked as her hands clung on to Paul's arm, her face all red from kissing.

"Shit!" A likewise red-faced Paul cursed, "Has to be Brady and Colin! Man, I'm supposed to be with those kids!"

Paul broke from Rachel's grasp as he ran for the trees. Rachel wrapped her arms around herself and yelled for us to be careful as she watched her imprint, her brother and her friends race-off to the unknown. I reached the forest and pulled off my clothes from behind the privacy of tree. Once my clothes were tucked away, my bare-feet turned to paws and they hit the ground running. My head filled up with the usual chaos of voices talking over each other, but I got the gist of it. There had been a vampire. I followed the others as we raced to the spot where Brady and Colin and the rest of the pack were pacing.

_Are you sure it was vampire?_ Sam asked, sounding aggravated.

Colin thought about it, second-guessing himself, and we could all see the black figure in his mind that was there in an instance and gone in the next.

_I didn't smell a vampire._ Colin admitted. _But what else could move that fast?_

_Your imagination._ Embry offered, sounding as aggravated as Sam.

_Yeah._ Brady agreed. _But, it's not his fault. See____—_w_e're both really hungry from smelling all that food that Leah cooked. I think it messed up with Colin's concentration. My mom always says—_

_Quiet! What food? _Sam asked.

No sooner had he asked the question that several members of the pack, from several different perspectives, involuntarily thought-up the answer. My head was filled with laughter as those who hadn't seen me in the kitchen imagined Paul's version of the tale: me in a pink apron. Sam didn't laugh. The black wolf turned to face me and his eyes glanced from me to Jacob and then back to me again. His thoughts were about the Italian leeches that posed a threat to our family, not about Jacob and I. Sam's eyes turned to Paul and his thoughts turned angry as he thought of Rachel and of his own imprint.

_I would expect YOU to take this more seriously!_

Paul nearly bowed to the ground at the power of Sam's words.

_When you're on patrol, no one leaves their post! _Sam ordered. _Even if there's an emergency____—_t_he forest should never go unwatched! You all know the treat we are facing! I expect more from ALL of you!_

Sam's words shook us all, bending our heads to the ground in submission. The black wolf huffed-out air through his snout as he glanced around at all of us, disappointed. His paws then tore at the ground as he darted past us, disappearing through the trees until his thoughts disappeared from our minds too. The rest of us stood in the forest either feeling ashamed or looking to put the blame on someone else.

_This is all Leah's fault._

_Man-up, Paul! _Jacob quickly defended._ You're the one who left your post! No one made you do it, and it sure as hell wasn't an emergency!_

_Maybe so._ Jared spoke-up. _But still, Leah's been causing trouble since you've become her __"b__oyfriend. _

_Yeah. _Paul agreed. _Sam really should have laid down the law about no inter-pack dating!_

_Well, he didn't. _Quil defended. _He let it go and all of you should too! Jacob is Leah's boyfriend. So What! Who cares!_

_And besides. _Embry added._ Don't you guys remember how bitchy Leah was when she was single? She badly needs a boyfriend!_

_SHUTUP! _I yelled. _Stop saying that word! UHG! I hope that a troop of vampires come and eat all of you!_

A cacophony of laughter filled my head as I trotted off into the trees. The laughter then turned to hoots and howls as Jacob ran after me. I could here the voices of the others taunting me with, "Here comes your boyfriend, here comes your boyfriend" and it made me cringe. My head filled with the images of their faces as they spoke the dreaded B-word and then I thought of Jacob and the whole thing just made me cringe. I couldn't help it. Through the repulsion I felt, I also felt something else as I ran. I felt hurt and as soon as I realized who it was coming from I phased behind a tree. I thought of Jacob as I pulled my clothes back on and I could sense that he was near, no doubt phasing back to his human form too. I walked out from behind the tree then and my feet halted. He stood before me with a look of uncertainty on his face. The things I had felt, that he could feel too, had managed to hurt him. I searched his eyes and I didn't really know what to say to him. Should I apologize? Should I blame those morons for making me feel that way? A small smile formed on Jacob's face then.

"I hope you didn't mean what you said about vampires and hoping they would eat ALL of us."

I shook my head as I moved towards him, stopping until my toes nearly touched his.

"Actually, I did mean it, but I also meant to exclude you."

"Good," he said as he gave a firm nod of his head in approval.

I leaned forward then and threw my arms around him, pressing my cheek against his hard, bare chest and molding my hands to the shape of his back. I felt his arms wrap around me then and it was like a confirmation, to me, that he didn't feel hurt anymore.

"I forgot to thank you for breakfast," he whispered into my ear and then gave me a squeeze, "Thank you.

His arms dropped from around me then and I took it as my queue to do the same. He smiled as I pulled back to see his face but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey," he said as he began walking, "You up for going to the beach?"

"Sure," I responded as I walked in step with him, "But, what for?"

"Nothing," he replied, "Just figured we could kill time until it's our turn to patrol."

"Sounds good," I said as I glanced up at him, but he didn't meet my gaze.

My hand managed to find his and we held hands as we walked towards the beach. I tried to ignore that his grip on my hand felt a little looser than usually, and I tried not to think about the dread I suddenly felt_—_the dread that something was wrong. After all, it was his idea to kill time with me at the beach, not mine. Jacob was probably just worried about the Italian vampires. Yeah, that's it, it's all because of the vampires.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

December 4, 2006

I stared out the kitchen window as I placed my dishes in the sink. The night sky was clear and the bright light of the moon shone directly onto the house. It was a full moon, I noticed, which didn't mean much to me aside from how it debunked popular werewolf mythology.

"Are you leaving for patrol soon?"

I sighed and then turned away from the kitchen sink so I could face my mother.

"Yeah. Duty calls...or whatever."

She carefully examined my face and then walked towards me. Her lips curved up into a small smile as she stopped in front of me and then reached-out her arms to pull me into a tight hug. I gave her a pat and then pulled away.

"What was that for?" I asked as I stared at her curiously.

She shook her head and gave her shoulders a little shrug.

"I sometimes feel that I never hugged you enough. Do you feel like you were never hugged enough?"

I screwed up my face and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Are you okay, mom? Did something happen between you and Charlie?"

"No, no, no. We're fi—"

"Were you watching the Hallmark Channel again? Or, does this have something to do with wine? Maybe the Hallmark Channel and wine?"

She crossed her arms and gave me a straight look.

"No," she said, "I just sometimes wonder how you've become so cautious... Like this thing with you and Jake, for example. When did you develop this fear of commitment—this fear to call a relationship what it is?"

My eyes narrowed the tiniest bit and I walked passed her, heading for the front door.

"Oh. _That_," I replied over my shoulder as if it were nothing, "That's Sam's fault."

I left the house then and jogged towards the direction of the beach. Jacob would be waiting for me there. It had become our meeting place before we patrolled. I broke through the last cluster of trees that lined the beach, and then, there was nothing between Jacob and I but sand and rocks. He was sitting a good distance away leaning back on his arms as his feet faced the sea. The full moon shone down on him, casting his bare chest in a white-blue glow and he looked sort of ethereal, like a mystical creature from a fairytale. I decided to climb up the rocks that were to his back and sneak-up on him from behind. Of course, I knew very well that you couldn't sneak-up on a werewolf, but still, it sounded fun. Quickly, I climbed up the rocks and then back down them to where he sat on the sand.

"You're late," he pointed-out as he glanced over his shoulder.

I smiled at him and then sat down on a rock behind him.

"I know," I replied, "I got tied up in a little mother-to-daughter chat."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked as he looked back to see me, "What about?"

A nervous laugh escaped from my lips at his question, and it totally blew any plan I had to lie. Jacob gave a soft chuckle.

"So it was about me, huh?"

I clenched my jaw and swallowed.

"Well, technically it was about me, but yes, your name was mentioned."

He smiled at me from over his shoulder—a tired smile.

"Aw, Sue was talking about me again. You know, I'm beginning to think your mom likes me more than you do."

I frowned at that and Jacob turned his head back to stare-out at the sea. My frown turned into a scowl as I wondered what his problem was. What more did I need to do to show him how much I cared?

"Wh—"

"Leah, are you ever going to accept the idea of being someone's girlfriend, again?" he asked and his words startled me.

I didn't respond. I had thought that we had discussed this whole "boyfriend-girlfriend" thing, and the fact that he was bringing it up, now, left me utterly speechless.

"Are you ever gonna let someone else—other than Sam Uley—stake their claim?"

_Claim?_ I was silent as my eyes raked over the expanse of Jacob's bare back, following his broad shoulders down, down the strong looking plane to where his waist narrowed. Jacob already had his claim over me. My eyes followed the line at the center of his back, back up to his shoulders where I was met with his weary eyes as they glanced back at me.

"You've told Sue how you feel about me," Jacob began, "You cooked me breakfast in my house, in front of my sister. The whole pack—THE WHOLE TRIBE—knows we're together! How's that any different from being my girlfriend?"

I rolled my eyes and caught sight of the full moon that hung above our heads.

"The difference is...if you called me…_that_…it would only jinx us," I replied as I stared up at the large glowing orb in the night sky.

A single cloud drifted over the full moon, muting its brightness, and then a sudden chill made me shiver. I crossed my arms, sliding my hands up and down the tops of them for extra warmth, even though, I wasn't even cold.

"Leah, that's the biggest load of sh—"

The sound of a wolf's cry pierced through the night air, sending another shiver to run through my body and I quickly scrambled to my feet. Jacob rose to stand at my side as another cry, more urgent this time, caused both of our hearts to pound. We spared each other a worried glance. His brave eyes tried to hide the fear that his nervous gulp could not, while my wide-eyed stare hid nothing. We took off running then, and we didn't bother to pull-off our clothes before we phased into our other form.

_Form a line! _Sam commanded as Jacob and I ran towards the others.

I nearly stumbled forward from the onslaught of images and emotions that I saw through the others eyes. A troop of leeches faced down our pack with insurmountable numbers—white faces, cloaked in black, crowding the woods with numbers greater than the trees. It was like looking upon an endless sea of faces and I didn't see much hope for our survival.

Jacob by my side, we reached the others and I stopped at Seth's flank. The sight of so many enemies was just as intimidating has it had been through the pack mind. Sure we'd kill some of them, but hundreds of them against the 10 of us...was a slaughter! I stared worriedly at my brother, but he stood straight and strong. I could feel his readiness for what ever would soon come, but I didn't feel the same. A whimper escaped me as I looked from him to Jacob and the sound garnered the attention of a white-haired leech. His cruel sounding laugh penetrated my ears as he stood at the center of the troop.

"Don't intimidate them too much, Lenora," he said as he glanced down the line at one of the others, "We want them to fight—not run away."

The sound of a dramatically given sigh drew my eyes to another leech, and this one, I recognized. Her face, I realized, was all around us—multiplied hundreds of times—but I was comforted in knowing that only one of the faces was real. As if they had never been there, the army that seemed to have stretched back for miles in the darkness of the woods disappeared like a mirage. I felt the entire pack sigh in relief as, then, only 20 leeches stood before us. Two for each of us.

_They're in trouble, now! _Paul taunted as he restlessly shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

The others thoughts seemed to echo his and I felt the pack's usual testosterone-boosted bravado quickly return.

_Don't be so quick to judge your enemy._ Sam warned us. _If one of them has a special ability they all might._

My eyes narrowed at the leeches as I, for once, agreed with something Sam had to say.

_So what's the plan? _Jacob asked as he took a step forward.

Sam's response escaped from his mind before it was even a complete thought. Everyone's attention immediately turned on the white-headed leech as he paced before us almost as if he were floating over the ground. Our eyes were on him like a cat tracking a mouse and the growls that erupted around me were not sounded in warning. The leech with his creepy shoulder length hair that was nearly the color of his skin, stopped and looked us over as if he were choosing which of us would be slaughtered first.

"Children of the Moon!" he called out as if he were addressing us, "Your pact with the Cullen's has come to an end. I notice that your forms have somewhat altered since the last time I've seen your kind—I suppose even the lowliest of creatures can evolve and change—but I am here to show you that some things must remain unchanged. I'm here to show you that your true place along vampires resides with the dirt below our feet!"

Someone charged the leeches then. Keeping with tradition, it occurred to me that it was probably Paul, but as the sound of hisses and snarls whipped around me—I didn't know how it all started. Jacob was at my side, taking snaps at a leech's neck while Seth was hot on another's trail. I attempted to run after him, but my path was quickly cut-off by an eerily familiar face.

"Ze Verevolf bitch."

Her words were almost a coo as she eyed me with wild eyes. I growled at her in response, wordlessly promising her that she'd soon be joining all of her black cloaked friends in Hell! My jaws opened wide as I lunged for the leech, aiming to bite off her head, but instead I went straight through her! I snarled angrily as I whipped my body around, scanning the area for the tricky leech, but she was nowhere in sight. My eyes raked over a few discarded vampire limbs that were lying on the ground, but no one had made a kill just yet. Jacob's big paws sat on the chest of his pinned-down leech as it yelled curses up at him. He had sufficiently ripped both arms off his screaming leech. He was about to silence the leech for good and I turned my head away, causing my eyes to catch a brief glimpse of something before it plowed into me!

_LEAH!_ Jacob yelled as my body went skidding across the ground before slamming hard into a tree.

I didn't have time to think about the pain of it before two cold hard hands dug into the scruff of my neck and squeezed. My widened eyes were met with a pair of red ones as I quickly tried to stand up but her grip pushed me down. A sinister smile crept across the leeches face as her hands tightened around my throat even more, threatening to cut off my air supply. I temporarily froze-up then. My eyes were fixed on her red ones, losing myself in their deep crimson depths as if I was staring down my own death. I gasped for air just as a loud snarl ripped through the night, followed by a sound like grinding metal. The female leech let-out a scream as her hands slipped from around my throat, grasping desperately at my fur as her body was abruptly pulled away from mine. I looked up to see Jacob tossing aside a twitching leg before he pounced on top of my strangler.

_Leah? You okay?_ Seth's voice was filled with concern as he communicated with me from some unseen distance.

My air deprived lungs retched-out a cough as I tried to breath normally again, but other than that I was okay.

_Yeah, I'm fine._ _Thanks to Jacob, anyway._

Wolf-Jacob glanced up at me as his paws held down the now limbless leech. She cursed in her Russian tongue at him but she didn't bother to make any more clones of herself. Jacob's gaze held mine for a moment longer as if he was afraid he'd never see me again, and I knew that, for a moment there...he had been. He looked away then and finished dismembering the tricky female leech as our pack brothers cheered him on.

_Man! I was hoping I'd be the one to take her down! _Someone complained but I didn't care enough to notice who it was.

My eyes caught sight of movement in a nearby tree and I stared at the shadowed figure with narrowed eyes. The white haired leech had climbed high up a fir tree as he surveyed the fight below him. Carefully, I stood up from the ground and it earned me a better perspective on the leech. A deep scowl was fixed on his face as he glared down at Jacob, holding a fiery hatred for him in his red eyes. I followed his gaze and saw Jacob start to go after another leech.

_INCOMING!_

I thrashed around at the sound of trampling paws to see a chocolate brown wolf barreling towards me as he chased down a leech. Reacting quickly, I lurched forward in front of the vampire's path just in time to catch its knees. The leech tripped and went flying through the air as the wolf swerved around me.

_Thanks, Leah!_

Quil yelled as he went at the vampire, fangs first. I smiled inside, pleased that our pack seemed to have the upper hand.

"Do something about that mutt, will you, Santiago?"

Fear jolted me as I recognized the voice of the white-haired leech and I looked up just in time to see a large tree being uprooted. I took-in a sharp intake of breath as a vampire with large arms threw the tree as if it were as light as a javelin. The tree trunk went spiraling through the forest and I leaped up from the ground as I realized where it was headed.

_JACOB!_ _WATCH OUT!_ I internally screamed while a loud bark escaped my mouth.

The red-brown wolf spun around just in time to receive a hard blow to his temple, knocking him backwards through the air. Jacob's still human form hit the ground while the tree flew overhead, crashing through the forest before nosily settling to the ground. I was frozen. I was breathless. The sickening crack that had echoed-out as the tree struck his head reverberated in my mind. There was wicked, triumphant laughter, followed by feelings of intense anger and worry and it snapped me out of my shock. My paws took-off running then, changing into feet in mid-stride as I ran towards him. His face was turned away from me, but even then I could see the blood dripping from his temple.

"Not again."I whispered as I kneeled beside him, but my words fell on deaf ears.

Jacob was unresponsive. Jacob seemed lifeless, even though, I could still hear his heart beating inside of his chest. His heart was working as it should, but I worried, as my fingertips grazed the side of his face, that Jacob's mind...was not...


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

* * *

**"Yeah, I'll always be your friend. No matter what you love."**

**Jacob Black, _New Moon_, Chapter 18, p.409**

* * *

Bodies rushed around me—some on two legs, some on four. The sounds of snarls and shrieks filled the forest, but I didn't move from Jacob's side. The gash at the side of his head had closed up and the blood that seeped from it had dried, but Jacob didn't respond.

"Leah," Seth sounded breathless as he jogged-up behind me, "We gotta get Jake out of here."

I didn't budge—not even as Seth placed something over my bare shoulders.

"It's my shirt," he said, "Put it on."

I ignored it as my eyes fixed on Jacob. Carefully, I slid my hand underneath his cheek, turning his head so that I could see his face. His head was a dead weight under my grasp and his eyes were unresponsively closed.

"Jacob, wake up." I begged as I examined his face, causing Seth to get impatient.

"Le-ah!" he complained, but I ignored him.

I only responded to the rustling sound of shaken leafs, the straining sound that branches made under the weight of a body. My eyebrows lowered at the sound and I looked up with a glare. The white-haired leech _"humphed" _in disappointment and I all but growled at him.

"Shape-shifters," he spat-out the word, "Notice how they so freely change shape under the full moon? They are shape-shifters, Santiago. No matter," he shrugged, "Kill them all!"

The leech with the big arms purposefully strode towards us. He was no-doubt intent on finishing the job that the uprooted tree had started. The leech took another long stride towards us before a Jared plowed into him, causing the two to go rolling through the woods as brown and black blur, snarling and hissing.

"Leah, come on!" Seth pulled at my arm, but I shrugged out of his grasp, causing the t-shirt to fall off of my shoulders.

"Just give him a second!" I shouted, "He'll wake up. I know he will."

The brown wolf was still battling the leech with the big arms and the other battles seemed to be drawing nearer.

"That's not the point!" Seth shouted as he ducked under a flying dismembered arm, "This isn't a good place for Jake to be!"

I took Jacob's hand in mine, giving it a squeeze, but he didn't flinch. Seth sighed his annoyance from behind me, and then I was temporarily blinded by something soft being pulled down over my head. I looked over my shoulder and scowled at Seth as I pushed my arms through the sleeves of his shirt.

"Happy, now?" I spat.

Seth shook his head and then moved around to Jacob, slipping his hands under Jacob's shoulders.

"I'd be happier if you'd just listen to me for once."

I scrambled after Jacob as Seth dragged him away, dodging past the vampire carnage that was all over the ground. A piercing cry stopped us short and I lunged for the ground to be at Jacob's side. I was aware that the cry was a howl. A howl of pain.

"Jared." Seth said as he went forward on the defensive, but he looked down at me and sat back on his heels, realizing his priorities.

Never-the-less, a loud bark sounded through the night and two other wolves went after the vampire that had injured Jared. I gulped as I saw wolf-Jared limping away, dragging a mangled leg behind him, and I moved closer to Jacob as the big-armed leech tossed one of the other wolves into a tree.

"Jacob." His name was a plea from my lips as I turned my eyes to him.

I cupped his face in my hands and stared at his closed eyelids, willing them to open, but they didn't. Another vampire charged at us then, causing Seth to phase back into his wolf form. The shredded remains of his cut-offs sprinkled onto Jacob and I as Seth snapped at the attacking leech, trying to push it away from us. I wondered, as I leaned protectively over Jacob, how the tables had turned so fast? One moment we had had the upper hand, and in the next…these bloodsuckers were mopping-up the floor with us!

"Please," I begged as I shook Jacob's shoulders, "Wake up!"

He didn't budge. I groaned with frustration and then took his face in my hands as I pressed my lips firmly to his. The beating of his heart didn't even change.

"Alright! Damn-it, you win!" I yelled, "If you just wake-up, if you just open your eyes—you can say I'm your girlfriend—Hell! I'll be your fiance, your wife—whatever! Just don't fall into another coma! Please, Jacob, PLEASE!"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing, and then I came to the dark realization that even if he did wake up there was no guarantee that he'd remember me. Double amnesia. What if this time he didn't even remember his own name or his friends or his own father? A tear burned in my eye and I glared angrily up at the big-armed leech that still hadn't been taken down. He moved quickly and efficiently and his blows were more powerful than that of other vampires. My eyes looked accusingly at the cowardly leech who watched the battle from the safety of a tree. Even though there were still many other vampires to be killed the white-haired leech should have been first on our list. I stood-up from the ground then as I fixed my eyes on him and I didn't hesitate. I marched past Seth and the leech he was fighting-off, past the two wolves who were getting tossed around by the big-armed one, and then marched right up to the cowardly leech.

"I've never seen a chicken climb a tree before!" I spat as I crossed my angrily shaking arms over my chest.

The white-haired leech curled-up his lip and then almost seemed to float down from the tree, landing silently on the ground.

"I have never tasted the blood of a shape-shifter," he replied, "I imagine it to be as repulsive as you smell. Never-the-less—"

The leech lunged for me and I was immediately shoved out of the way, hitting the ground with such a powerful force that all I felt was the impact. I groaned as I tried to push myself up from the ground and then cried-out from the pain of it—my cry seemed to shake the very ground. Several occurrences happened in that moment:

I noticed that I had landed on an unearthed tree root and a sharp edge of it was jutting out of my shoulder.

The black wolf that had shoved me out of the way whined his apology as he fought-off the white-haired leech.

And then, a soft moan alerted my ears like a storm siren in the distance and my heart pounded furiously in my chest.

"Jacob."

Quickly, I pushed myself up from the ground, grunting as I pulled my shoulder free from the impaling root and ran towards him. Wolf-Seth was at Jacob's side, having already placed the dismembered limps of his kill into a pile, and he looked at me with hopeful eyes. I fell to my knees beside Jacob, ignoring the pain in my shoulder as I saw him move.

"Jacob," I spoke his name as I placed a hand on either side of his face, "Say something."

He swallowed and his head tried to move against my hands. As a reflex, his hands lifted to touch the confines on his face. His hands latched around my wrists and then his eyes opened wide. Time seemed to slow. The chaos that was happening around us was muted and all I saw were his eyes. His stared at mine, wide-eyed, like a fish out of water, like he had just breached the surface of the ocean and taken a much needed breath of air. His hands fell from around my wrists then and he sat-up quicker than I could protest. A wolf howled and a chill went through me causing my hairs to stand-on-end as if more danger was coming. Jacob ran his fingers through his hair, gripping tightly while wolf-Seth ran off into the woods, disappearing into the trees. Even then, I could smell the stench of vampires growing stronger as if more of them were approaching, yet all I could think about was: "What do you remember?"

Jacob didn't answer. His head turned away from me and towards a sudden rush of air that brushed against us. More vampires had come, but not the black-cloaked kind. Several familiar faces filled the forest, causing the fighting to temporarily stop as all eyes turned on the Cullen's. The wolves—minus Seth who was standing beside his vampire friends—had formed a defensive line between all of the leeches and Jacob and I. My ears were altered to the sound of a whimper as Seth joined the line against his will. The white-haired leech stepped towards the Cullen's then. His big-armed bodyguard and what was left of his henchmen were flanking him.

"Carlisle," he greeted without friendliness, "I can see that you have come to the aid of your pets."

A series of growls responded to the word "pets" and I could feel my brothers urge to attack.

"Caius," the doctor greeted in-kind, "These wolves have no more allegiance to my family than they do to any of our kind. We merely share the common interest of preserving human life."

The white-haired leech gave a dark laugh.

"Human. Life," he spat-out the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, "Your perspective is greatly perverted, Carlisle. It always has been. I assume you are still keeping your _human_ pet, then?"

"No." A female voice that held the resonance of wind chimes erupted from the cluster of Cullen's.

They parted as a brown-haired female stepped forward with her mind-reader close by her side. Several of the wolves growled at the sight of her, but the sound of their growls were quickly overshadowed...

"Bella?" Jacob questioned and I felt my heart plummet inside of my chest at the way he spoke her name.

He remembered her. Bella Swan glanced towards Jacob. Her expression was blank, unreadable.

"Bells." the word came from Jacob's lips like an exasperated breath and he immediately stood to his feet.

He took a step forward, standing up straight and completely unabashed by the fact that he was stark naked. Bella Swan didn't seem to notice either. Her eyes didn't blink, her mouth didn't twitch uncomfortably, and her white cheeks didn't even flush with the slightest tint of red. She was like _them_ now.

"How timely," the white-haired leech interrupted, sounding disgusted, "Aro will be pleased."

"But will he be pleased with you?" the mind-reader asked, "Will he be pleased when he finds out how you've deluded him—how you've smuggled half of the Volturi guard away on your own mission, without his approval?"

The white-haired leech sneered at Edward and then opened his mouth to utter a threat—

"You're outnumbered Caius. You might as well leave while the wolves have something else to chase."

The low, warning growls that were emitted from the chests of my pack brothers were meant for the Cullen's. The white-haired leech glanced at the wolves, noticing who their eyes were zeroed-in on.

"Destroy each other then!" he spat as his cold, red eyes raked over all of us, vampire and werewolf, "Y_our very existence is_ insulting."

The cowardly leech disappeared then, and his henchmen followed after him, giving no regard to their friends who laid in pieces on the ground. The Cullen's began pleading and reasoning then as the wolves began to move towards them—they didn't want to be forced to defend themselves. I just stared at Jacob. He had sunk back down to the ground and had his head bowed as if he had been defeated.

"Jacob," I whispered his name as I crawled to his side.

He looked up at me. His brow was creased and his eyebrows were lowered over his eyes, while his mouth formed a hard line. I remembered this look. It was the same look that had been plastered on his face since Bella Swan dumped him for a vampire. I took-in a jagged breath at the sight of it. I had hoped never to see it again.

"This isn't right," he said as he stared into my eyes, "I'm sorry, Leah, but I can't let them hurt her."

My mouth fell open as I planned to speak. I planned to tell him not to apologize. I planned to say that I didn't want _anyone_ to get hurt. My plans and my words were cut-short as he phased back into his wolf form. I staggered onto my feet as the red-brown wolf and the black one faced-off. The Cullen's only stood-by and watched as the two wolfs snarled at each other, fighting over something that I could only imagine. The black one took a snap at the others neck then, and a surge of anger rushed through me, causing the wolf to explode from my form.

_Let them go, Sam! She's not going to hurt anyone—look at her! _Jacob ordered as he threw his head in her direction. _We've all seen what the newborns are like—she's not like them! Let them go!_

_They broke the treaty, Jacob. They know the price, and you WILL fight! _

Sam's voice shook us all, like how thunder shakes the heavens, and I felt myself cower at the sound. Jacob didn't budge. He held Sam's threatening gaze, and then, with an authority that put Sam's to shame, Jacob said: _NO._

A tremor of shock went through the pack at the sound of another Alpha voice. Sam's confidence was shaken and all he could do was stare as Jacob so easily walked away from him. The red-brown wolf trotted over to the Cullen's, planting himself in front of them before turning sharply to stare us down.

_If you fight them. You fight me._

Images poured into our shared mind: an image of Doctor Cullen's caring face looking down at Jacob as he woke-up on a stretcher, an image of Seth and the big armed vampire playful shoving one another, and an image of Bella and Edward looking at each other with a gaze that mirrored the one that Emily and Sam shared.

_They ARE NOT our enemy. _

The power behind his words even caused Sam to shrink back, and the others to lay-down their hackles. Sam took a careful step forward.

_Jacob._ He spoke, his voice calm and reasoning. _You will be responsible for them. _He warned. _Any life they take will be on you._

Jacob acknowledged Sam's words and agreed to them easily. He believed and trusted that these vampires would never take a human life. The red-brown wolf turned then to face the Cullen's. Through his mind I could see Bella Swan's deathly pale skin and the small smile that formed on her face for him. She whispered the words, "thank you" and then Jacob looked away. His head turned to the mind-reader.

_Leave._

Edward nodded, and then, just like that, the Cullen's fled the woods. I watched as the body of the red-brown wolf seemed to deflate as his head drooped to the ground. He was tired. His mind was exhausted. His emotions were varied and intense and his memories were jumbled. Did he remember_ us_? Jacob's head snapped in my direction and his eyes met mine. A series of flash-backs went through his head—images of my face, images of Bella Swan's face—that were all mixed-up in a confusing, tangled-up mess! The red-brown wolf huffed-out an exasperated breath through his snout that felt like my own, and then, he took-off running quicker than I thought to follow him.

_I need to be alone._

His words froze me—even as his thoughts left our shared mind I still couldn't move. No one spoke. No one hardly thought about anything. _Alone._ My ears perked up upon hearing the foot-falls of human feet in the distance. The sound grew fainter and fainter as the runner put distance between us, and with each moment that that distance increased...I felt more and more alone.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Somehow I had managed to find my way home. I stood staring at the backdoor, debating on whether or not I wanted to go inside. My arms were wrapped tightly around myself_—_not to conceal my nakedness but to try and hold myself together. Part of me wanted to sink to the ground and cry; the other part of me wanted to run over to Jacob's house and kick his door down. I gave a bitter laugh at that. Really, I didn't even know where he was. Jacob wanted to be alone_—_that was all that I knew for certain.

I sighed as I heard someone's foot steps coming behind me, but I didn't turn around. I knew it was Seth.

"Leah, are you okay?" he asked, sounding concerned.

I only shrugged my shoulders as he came to a stop beside me. He glanced between me and the door, wondering why I wasn't going inside. Seth bit down on his lip, then, as he sometimes does when he's trying to think of what to do.

"Jared's leg isn't as bad as we thought," he spoke as if I actually _cared_ about Jared's stupid leg, "The guys didn't have to re-break the bones or anything!"

I didn't respond. Seth examined my face as I continued to stand motionless in front of the door, and I wished so bad that he would just go inside.

"Can you believe what Jake did?" he asked suddenly and the mention of the name made my heart start, "He used an Alpha command on Sam! The guys can't stop talking about it! Do you think Jake's gonna led the pack now?"

I groaned loudly and then pushed through the back door and into the house. I walked passed my mom and her worried expression. _Whatever._ Let Seth explain things to her_—_He's so damn talkative all-of-a-sudden! I closed my bedroom door with my back and then stood there for a moment. I considered calling him. I considered phasing into a wolf to track him down. Ultimately, I decided to do nothing. Jacob had had his head bashed-in again, and this time, it gave him his memories back. I told myself that something like that was majorly stressful and he just needed a moment...or two. I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a tank top and a pair of shorts. I worried that his "moment" would turn into days, weeks, months_—_forever? I put my clothes on and then climbed under my sheets. My arms wrapped around my pillow as I buried my face into it. Soon, the pillow case became damp against my face and my chest heaved with broken sobs until I became too tired to shed a tear.

I didn't dream, but I did a lot of tossing and turning...

.

* * *

.

December 5, 2006, 1:24 PM

A metallic scrapping sound wrenched me from my sleep and my eyes shot open, but they immediately closed. The daylight filtered-in through the thin white sheet that was pulled over my head. My eyes, which were still sore from having cried like a pathetic, whiny girl_, _weren't yet ready to deal with the light of day. I was aware though, however, that I wasn't alone. I pulled the sheet down from my face as the scrapping sound I had heard was followed by a _pop_ as the bottom half of my window rose up to meet the top half. Jacob climbed-in backwards through the window. He was shirtless, shoeless, and wearing a pair of draw string shorts that looked like they had once been pants, cut-off at the knees. I sat up in my bed and my hope-filled heart pounded in my chest as he stood to his full height and then turned around to see me. His body went rigid as our eyes met and he stared at me as if he expected me to sleep through the whole process of him climbing through my window.

"I guess you're done being alone now," My voice sounded a little more snippy than I meant for it to, "Did you forget that I have a front door?"

Jacob rolled his eyes and then threw his thumb in the direction of my bedroom door.

"Charlie and Sue are in the kitchen. I didn't come to see them. I came to see you."

My breathing quickened at his words but I didn't yet know whether to be happy or worried. Jacob took two long strides towards my bed and then sat down on the edge of the mattress. My bed dipped under his weight and my thigh brushed against his hip as I slid into him. I could tell by his closeness that I had no reason to worry, but as I looked into his eyes Jacob looked away. I watched him as he stared out my opened window and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"That was a lot easier than I thought it was gonna be," he said as he glanced at me, his eyes twinkling as he smiled, "Probably the easiest window I've ever climbed through."

A frown formed on my face.

"Oh?" I questioned, "Have you climbed through a lot of other windows?"

Jacob's smile faded and he looked out the window again.

"A few."

There was a silence between us as I realized that I had already known which "few" he meant, and it made me re-think the idea that I had "no reason to worry".

"Why did you come to see me?"

Jacob's head spun in my direction. His eyebrows were lowered over his eyes and his mouth curled up like my question offended him.

"Because I promised not to hurt you," he explained, "And I try to keep my promises_—_best I can," Jacob paused as he scooted closer to me and then raised a hand to brush a strand of hair from my face, "I've decided something," the words were almost a whisper, "I've decided to leave the pack. I'm not going to phase anymore."

My back went straight as a board and my mouth fell open.

"WHAT? You can't! It's our responsibility! It's our heritage! Why_—_"

Jacob reached for my hands and held them in his as his eyes searched mine. He gave a shrug of his shoulders and then said:

"Can't imprint if I ignore the wolf."

I exhaled a breath that I felt like I had been holding for a long time and my tensed-up shoulders relaxed.

"Jacob," I breathed his name, "That's crazy. That's a lot to give-up just for me."

His hands slid up my arms and around my back as he pulled me against his chest.

"I never wanted any of this and I don't want to risk hurting you the same way you've been hurt before."

My arms wrapped around his back and my cheek pressed against his bare shoulder as I hugged him tight, shutting my eyes for a moment as I said a prayer of thanks.

"I half expected you to tell me that you still had feelings for Bella Swan."

Jacob's hands moved to my shoulders and he gently pushed me away so he could look me in the eye.

"I do," he admitted, and for a moment my heart stopped beating.

Jacob's eyes averted down to the mattress and his expression looked conflicted.

"Leah," he spoke my name as his eyes rose to meet mine, "Imagine if you had lived the same life twice_—_only, you made different choices in both of them_—_and one day, you woke up, and your two lives came crashing together, like a head-on collision. It's been confusing. I admit it. But I'm not confused about how I feel about you."

I shook my head at his words.

"Sure. You say that now because Bella Swan's a walking corpse and I'm the only decent prospect you have left."

Jacob snorted out a laugh.

"Prospect?" he rolled his eyes, "Leah, you can't even handle the word 'boyfriend'. Don't you realize that a 'prospect' implies taking it to the next level?"

I examined his face. He was still the same Jacob whose eyes twinkled when they looked into mine, and whose smile did funny things to my insides. Yet, there was something in the way that he held himself_—_something about the way he moved that seemed different_—_that made him seem older or more experienced or maybe a little bit jaded like I was.

"You don't remember this," I began, "Because you were passed out when I said it...but I made a promise to you, too."

A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

"Remind me," he said and I swallowed before speaking and then uncomfortably averted my eyes toward the ceiling.

"I promised that if you just woke up that I'd be your girlfriend, your wife_—_whatever."

A broad grin formed on Jacob's face as I said those words and his arms found their way around me, pulling me against him quicker than before. I braced my hands against his bare chest, feeling his quick heart beat under my palm as he searched my eyes.

"I'll settle on 'girlfriend'...for now," he said as his head turned and then leaned in.

I gazed up at him through lowered eyelids and my hands slid down his chest to his sides.

"I can handle that," I replied just before his lips found mine and he kissed me.

His kiss was different. The pressure of his soft, warm lips on mine felt stronger, more determined. I could feel this new, unyielding passion as his mouth moved with mine. It was something that hadn't quite been there before, but I could feel it in the way he touched me now_—_rougher, but with a skill that made my temperature rise. His lips left mine for a moment as his mouth placed a kiss just under my ear.

"I love you," he whispered and I could only hum my response before he brought his mouth back down on mine.

We kissed with a heated intensity that made my head spin and I was barely aware that he had eased me back down on to my mattress. His lips pulled away from mine then, and he stared down at me as he held himself up with his arms. I smiled devilishly and moved my legs underneath him, raising my knees up around him so that he was cradled between them. Jacob quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Leah," he said as he lowered himself on top of me and then placed a quick kiss on my lips, "I like Seth. He's a good kid. Let's not do something that might scar him for life while he's in the next room, okay?"

With that, Jacob climbed off of me and then offered me his hand to help me up. I took it and he pulled me up with more strength than was necessary. I collided into him, and I stayed there, gazing up at him with my hands pressed to his chest.

"Did you really mean what you said?" I asked, "Are you really going to stop phasing?"

Jacob sighed as he stared down at me.

"Yeah, I really meant it. Besides," he paused as his smile broke into a grin, "I'll start aging so I can catch-up with you. No point in risking that someone might call you a cradle robber if we can prevent it."

I rolled my eyes and then shoved him with my hands that were already on his chest.

"I'm not _that _much older than you! Only 3 years!"

His grin grew even wider_—_if that was possible_—_and his eyes twinkled with a happiness that was almost contagious.

"Some girls consider '2 years' to be Corruption of a Minor."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously as I guessed which "girl" he meant.

"Some _girls_ are stupid.

Jacob laughed at that and then reached for my hand.

"Come with me," he said as he pulled me towards my bedroom door.

I allowed him to lead me. It was either out of my own curiosity or my general desire just to be near him that I followed. He pulled me by my hand through my own house: passed Seth who stood in his bedroom doorway with an annoyed look on his face, and passed my mom and Charlie who gawked at us from the kitchen table.

"Hey, Sue. Hey, Charlie." Jacob greeted with an all too pleased smile on his face just before he pulled us out the front door.

He glanced back at me with a broad grin as he pulled me down the driveway and then onto the street.

"Are you worried?" he asked as his pace slowed until I was walking in step with him.

My eyebrows lowered.

"Worried about what?"

"About what Charlie and Sue thought when they saw me come out of your bedroom, half naked, and them not knowing I was even there?"

I thought about it for a moment and then a carefree smile crossed my face.

"I don't care," I said as I looked him in the eye, "In fact, Charlie can think that I'm pregnant for all I care!"

Jacob snorted-out a laugh.

"Guess your not ashamed of me anymore, then."

I frowned at that and my feet stopped walking.

"I was never ashamed of you, Jacob. I was just...scared to lose you...and calling you my 'boyfriend' meant that you were mine. Mine to lose."

Jacob stopped walking and turned to face me. He shook his head and then made _tisk tisk _sounds.

"See," he said as he cupped my face between his hands, "You won't have to think like that anymore. Never again. I'm giving up immortality for you. I'm all yours. I'm going to make sure that no one could cause you to lose me. Now, come on_—_"

His fingers laced through mine and he tugged at my hand as we started moving again.

"Where exactly are we going?"

I looked up at Jacob's profile and watched as the corner of his mouth pulled-up into a smile.

"We're going to give your old flame the happy news."

I scowled at the way he chose to describe Sam and I squeezed his fingers between mine until I felt them crack.

"OW!" he complained as he pulled his hand from my grasp to flex his fingers, "Hey! Don't deny it! I still remember how you used to think about Sam all the time," Jacob rose a finger to his head and tapped, "Vivid mental images that can't be removed once they've been seen."

I cringed a little at that, but then pointed an accusing finger at him.

"What about YOU and all your disgusting thoughts about Bella Swan? Don't you think that I have some vivid mental images that I would like removed?"

Jacob chuckled and shrugged it off as if it were nothing. We walked side-by-side then_—_not talking, not holding hands. I shot him scowls while he shot me amused glances.

"Hey?" he asked suddenly as if he just remembered something, "What did you do with my stuff? My 'Bella' stuff?"

My eyes widened for an instant and then I decided to play dumb.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied as I picked-up my pace.

I could hear him laughing under his breath as I walked ahead of him.

"Don't lie. I remember seeing my wolf carvings on your dresser."

I winced at his blasted memory!

"You're imagining things," I replied as I walked a little faster.

"Le-ah..." he chided me like I was a kid who had done something bad, "What did you do with my stuff?"

I could hear his pace quicken behind me.

"What do you care?" I spat as I started power walking, "You planning to add more to your precious Bella Swan collection?

"No, I just want to know what you did with it! I don't want it back."

I stopped walking then, and he stopped walking too. I looked over my shoulder at him as a devious smile spread across my face.

"Good! Cuz I'm not telling you!"

I ran then, towards the trees that would lead to the Uley's house and Jacob ran after me. I let out a playful scream as his hands latched around my waist and we went down to the ground, rolling over one another. There was a smile on my face that matched his as he hovered over me.

"Tell me," he said as he forced his expression to turn serious, "What did you do?"

I smirked at him as I raised up a hand to touch his face.

"I destroyed everything except for the wolves," I confessed as I ran my fingers through his hair and then gripped the back of his neck, "Apparently, it was the closest I could get to actually destroying your memory of her."

Jacob sighed and then shook his head at me.

"No," he disagreed, "You came the closest by showing me how love is supposed to be: mutual, not one-sided. Not forced, but easy and natural."

"Easy?" I laughed as I pulled him closer, "Are you calling me easy?"

"You kidding?" he teased as a grin formed on his face, "'**Difficult**' is _your_ middle name," his head lowered to mine then, "But I'm always up for a challenge."

I smiled.

"I'll always be up for challenging you."

His lips brushed against mine then and I pulled him down on top of me until there was no air between us. I wanted to keep it that way_—_at least for a little while longer_—_but I knew we'd have to move at some point. Until that time came, I pushed-out every niggling thought, every worry, and I got lost in the moment. I got lost in him. His hot skin didn't feel so hot with the cold wind blowing around us. It was invitingly warm, and his lips on mine made me feel whole. I didn't need to tell him how I felt about him_—_it was there in the way that I touched him, wrapping my arms around him so he couldn't get away. And I wouldn't let him. Not ever. He was mine. I was his. And I would lie, cheat, steal and fight dirty for Jacob Black.


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue

**Jacob Black**

Two years later...

"Shit!" I yelled as the carving knife cut through the driftwood like butter and sliced my hand.

I sucked-in a breath through my teeth, hissing at the pain as I threw the damn knife into the sand and then dropped the piece of driftwood. Blood dripped down my wrist from the angry wound and I watched, waiting for the gash to heal itself...but it didn't. The gash was still there—fresh and bleeding, showing no signs of stopping. I cussed again and then jumped to my feet as reality hit me like a two-by-four across the face.

"No more fast healing."

I blew-out a breath of air that was filled with remorse, but I only allowed it to last for an instant. There were bigger things at stake—like imprinting and breaking Leah's heart. I could live with cuts that took days to heal instead of seconds, but I couldn't live with hurting her. Quickly, I jogged over to the waves that were lapping at the sand and then I stepped into the ocean. I pulled off my shirt and slung it over my shoulder as I leaned down, allowing the saltwater to splash over the wound. The water turned red around my hand and the salt burned at my opened flesh.

"Jacob?"

I stood-up straight and glanced over my shoulder towards the sound of her voice. Her chest was heaving as if she was out of breath and her lips were parted in apprehension as she stood a few yards away from me. The wind blew her black hair into her face and she brushed it away with her hand. I smiled at her and then pulled my shirt down from my shoulder so I could wrap it around my wound.

"I smelled blood," the words rushed from her mouth as she took one step forward, "What happened?"

I gave a laugh at her ability to do something I couldn't anymore. I hadn't told her about it, but it had been awhile since I had last been able to smell the salt of the ocean from inside my own house, or to catch the scent of warm muffins from Emily's kitchen. The same went for sounds. These days, I could barely hear anything over the stupid TV.

"Just a scratch," I told her as I waded through the water and then crossed the sand that laid between us.

Her eyes were fixed on the shirt around my hand and I watched the color nearly drain from her face.

"It's not closing up!" she shouted as her hands grabbed for my arm, "I can still smell fresh blood!"

I watched her face as she gently pulled back the shirt from my hand. Her features were tensed with concentration as she tried her best to be gentle. A gasp escaped from her lips then, and they stayed open as she gawked at the wound. I immediately wanted to kiss her. I wanted to get my hands around her waist—to hell with the damn cut—and feel her parted lips against my mouth. Her eyes looked up at me then. They were filled with the kind of emotions that killed any hopes I had of a make-out session. I sighed in frustration.

"Leah, I'm not gonna bite the dust because of a damn gash—I promise. We won't even have to amputate."

Her lips jutted-out in a pout just before the corners of her mouth formed a familiar scowl.

"You actually did it." she spoke the words more to herself than to me as if she couldn't believe it.

Her arms crossed over her chest then and she stared down at the sand. I wasn't sure whether she regretted me being "normal", or if she just felt guilty, thinking I had did this all for her. I went with the latter and my good hand raised-up to cup her face.

"This is what I want," I said as I coaxed her eyes to meet mine and then removed my hand from her cheek, "I want you. I don't want some mandatory love-at-first-sight shit getting in the way. I wanna see you get old and crotchety and yell at the rez kids when they step foot on our land," I paused to shrug off her attempt at biting back a laugh, "Yeah, it's lame, I know, but it's what I want."

Leah choked-out a laugh.

"I guess, now, you want me to stop phasing?"

A smirk formed on my face and I shook my head as I looked her over, examining the tight tank top and shorts she always wore.

"No rush," I replied as my eyes lingered on her long legs, "I think I'd miss seeing you in shorts during winter."

A sly smile crossed her face then and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You've seen me in a lot less than shorts and it had nothing to do with the seasons," she reminded me with a seduction wiggle of her eyebrows, "That's something that won't be changing."

I gave a laugh as my hands found her waist and I pulled her against me.

"Know what else won't be changing?"

Leah looked up at me with excitement in her eyes and curiosity on her face.

"What?" she asked with an inquisitive smile.

I lowered my head to hers and she tilted her head back in response.

"My wanting to kiss you."

I pressed my mouth to hers then and her lips parted under mine, giving me full access. Her mouth was soft and sweet and I had developed a craving for her like a smoker craves a cigarette. My arms wrapped tightly around her then, pulling her body against me and her hands clung to me with a grip that no average girl could ever match. I liked it. Her touch wasn't gentle—it was urgent and bold. Leah put all of herself into the kiss as she did with everything else—like her plan to make me forget Bella. She tried so hard to keep my past from me, and in the midst of it all, she just guaranteed herself a spot in my future. I planned to keep her there. After all, you only live once, and when you die—they say your entire life flashes before your eyes. Well, when that day came, I wanted to make sure that my life was something worth seeing. And I was absolutely—without-a-doubt, without any hesitation—sure that I would never get tired of seeing Leah.


End file.
